3/10 Introspection and Barding

Chaaca Khan says, "Heya Artie."
Chaaca Khan says, "Your squire didn't spaz out, so that's good."
Artaghh asks, "I'm goin' up north'ta meditate, wanna come?"
 Chaaca Khan says, "Sure."
Chaaca Khan says, "Lead the way."
 Artaghh says, "Goin'ta be snowwy, bu' ye' can gather crystals an' rabbit's feet fer Von."
 Chaaca Khan says, "Vel and Vedran are sparing in the fields."
 Chaaca Khan says, "That was fun to watch."
Artaghh says, "Neat."
Chaaca Khan says, "I think Chroma might be going to murder Anna, so that's a thing."
 Artaghh says, "Oh I watched."
 Artaghh says, "It was funny."
Chaaca Khan says, "Potent."
 Artaghh says, "I'm goin'ta enter a meditative trance an' nae talk fer'a while, energy magi stuff. Hunt rabbits, fish, try'ta keep'ta fire stoked."
 Chaaca Khan says, "Will do."
 Chaaca slaps the tree.
(Chaaca Khan)
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 Artaghh says, "Got'a candy cane fer Amelie."
 Artaghh says, "Think she'll like it."
Chaaca Khan says, "Nice... Oh right."
 Chaaca Khan says, "I made a fuck ton of food for you and her."
 Artaghh says, "Nice."
Chaaca Khan says, "It's kinda clogging up my inventory.."
Artaghh says, "Hmm."

 Artaghh says, "I have four meals worth of cloak space."
 Artaghh says, "Package'm tightly."
 Chaaca Khan says, "Already packaged em."

 Chaaca Khan says, "Fuck me, I left my fishing rod at the Sunlight Hall..."
 Artaghh exclaims, "Bahahahahahahah!"
 Chaaca Khan says, "Yup..."
 Artaghh says, "I'll be here, ye' dunnae need'ta worry."
 Chaaca Khan says, "Alright, I'll be right back then."
 Chaaca Khan exclaims, "RIGHT!"
 Artaghh says, "Powerful."
 Chaaca quickly reached into his bag, and pulled out the last Maki Roll that he had on him. He'd then quickly unhinge his jaw, as a set of razor sharp teeth are reveled, with that he'd chuck the food down his gullet, shredding them with his teeth, and almost as soon as the food was revealed, it was gone.

After that he'd just happily pull his fishing rod out, and a bottle of Ale. His line was quickly tossed out into the sea, as he took a sip of ale.


(Chaaca Khan)
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 Ser Artaghh would nod to his faithful bard Chaaca Khan in respect to his determined efforts as he began the steady process of entering a meditative trance. First, the knight would began to hover off the ground as he crossed his legs over each other, rising progressively off the ground in a display of moderate gravity magic that he'd picked up from repeatedly being compressed into the actual ground by a small girl. Granted, that small girl was Leoda, one of Dawn's brightest young sorceresses, but the point stood.

Unbuckling his cloak and mithril cuirass as his noble bard Chaaca Khan began to fish for the evening's soup pot, Ser Artaghh would slowly dull his senses and remove all sources of outside stimulation through determined deprivation, slowly easing himself into an induced trance as his fiery shroud of unrefined mana pulsated around his now unarmed musculature with the heat of sunlight. It would take some time, but age had brought the knight more patience and peace of mind than his youth.
(Artaghh)
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 Chaaca Khan says, "Did you ever hear me sing the song I wrote for my brother? It might help you relax..."
 Artaghh says, "..."
 The knight would sadly not hear Chaaca's masterful composition, having delved into his inner mindscape as he began to introspect and unwind after his life's recent events. It was a key step of eventually mastering the Mystic arts like the Warden Sylvester, King of Rats, and finally be worthy of calling himself a true master energy magi. He'd already succeeded in breaking the limits of his body, now he needed to expand the limits of his mind. That required a sense of inner harmony, which meant thinking about the important stuff and sorting it out.

Ser Fethi...he hadn't truly processed the young knight's death fully yet. He'd been barely a teenager when he'd recruited Artaghh off the streets of Dawn twelve years ago, already a masterful ice magi, and brought the peasant into the legion's fold. The knight owed the now deceased, post-humous paladin Fethi much for aiding him in his own growth, and serving ad a judgmentless sparring companion on the fields for hours at a time to allow the bald knight free practices against the fierce might of ice magic. The world had lost one of the brightest souls to ever walk the soil of Agartha, and a fell vengeance boiled in Artaghh's stomach which he could not banish.
(Artaghh)
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 The knight's inner psyche would boil with a quiet fury as the image of the traitor blood mage raised before his eyes, the murder and coward Zendrick Boreale. Artaghh had wanted the kid dead since he'd maimed Batt's ribs all those years ago, when they'd been so much younger and the town was just a bit more lively. Still, he'd given the blood mage chance after chance to show signs of redemption at the request of Ser Fethi, even as the defector grew worse and worse in personal conduct. Ser Artaghh knew with certainty if he'd chosen to act earlier of his own volition, perhaps Ser Fethi could still be alive this day.

The hatred that boiled within the knight slowly banished as he took calm, steady breathes to maintain his trance, relaxing himself as he returned to a state of of dull emotion and introspection. Hunting Zendrick would not return Fethi to life, and the knight had much and more to lose if he slipped up on the battlefield. He'd lost in battles against the blood mage in the past, and even though he was vastly stronger than he was then, he was not so foolish as to not recognize the worth of humility. It could cost him his life, and he was living for far more than one person. He was living for Amelie, and for Dawn.
(Artaghh)
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Silence was the response he got from Artaghh, which to be fair was to be expected. The man was meditating, and needed to concentrate, talking would probably mess with efforts. Hopefully his singing would help. "And who are you, the proud Khan said, that I must bow so low?"

As Chaaca began to sing, he could feel his mood changing. His normal happy disposition, was replaced with a more solemn and sad one. Sadly, this was needed to perform the song, as the contents of it were not joyful, not in the slightest. "Only a cat of a different coat, that's all the truth I know."

As he continued in a low and smooth voice, something rather astounding began to happen. Two small figures of light appeared in front of him as he sang. Although it probably wasn't noticeable, but the two figures of light were Naguals.

"In a coat of brown or a coat of black,
a panther still has claws," The two figures of light slowly begin to make their way towards each other, pausing inches between each other, almost as if they were staring each other down. "And mine are long and sharp, my Chief, as long and sharp as yours."

With that the two figures began to lock up in combat, both of them furiously slashing each other with attack after attack, spell after spell, until...

"And so he spoke, and so he spoke, that Khan of Gehenna," The figure of light that represented his brother was stabbed through the chest by the other figure of light. "But now the rains weep o’er his temple, with no one there to hear."

The light that represented the chieftain then began to feast on the arm of the other being of light, tears slowly began to flow from Chaaca's eyes, as he sings the very last part of the song.color=gold>"Yes now the rains weep o’er his temple, and not a soul to hear"
(Chaaca Khan)
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 Ser Artaghh would think upon the Oscuri lady then, a far more pleasant topic for his mind to sit upon Ser Amelie Vishkar. His courtship of the noble woman and sister to the Lord Adjudicator of Dawn had only warmed since young Leoda's efforts had born fruit, and the knight had more than one lipstick stained cheek to show for it. If he proceeded adequately, marriage to her would raise him from peasant status to true nobility, and validate the knight's entire family line.

It helped that he loved the girl, of course. She was stronger than him, and had been since she was thirteen. But she sang well, laughed at his jokes, and was smarter than most people he knew. The bald swordsman had found the ideal partner in life, and now he just needed the sword. If he could have the Arcanium reika blade forged by Dylerun, a knight would have his lady. It had a story like quality to it, if not for the extreme danger Artaghh would need to face to acquire the remaining Arcanium and masterwork articles.
(Artaghh)
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 The knight would be aided in maintaining his state of trance by the haunting tone of the master sound magi's singing, remaining in a steady trance as he continued to introspect. Chaaca Khan was a fine bard indeed.
(Artaghh)
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 The song was over, the figures of light swiftly disappeared as Chaaca was left sitting in his own sorrow. The bard was silent for a moment, as he stared off into the Ocean. Perhaps he shouldn't sing that song anymore, it only seemed to bring him down. He shook his head as he glanced at a nearby fish leaping out of the water for a moment. No, the song represented a dark moment in not only his life, but the life of his family, but if that event hadn't have happened he probably wouldn't be in Dawn right now.

Bringing his hand up to his eyes, he'd quickly wipe the tears from his eyes, as a small smile formed on his face. Yea, in every bad thing, there was usually something good to be taken from it. Glancing back at Artaghh, he let out a small sigh, as he chuckled a bit. "Yea, I got nothing to be sad about." A small smile formed on his face, as he tossed another line out into the sea.
(Chaaca Khan)
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[04:49] The knight thought then to the dragon hunt. He'd been tracing the rumors of an energy dragon for years now, but had yet to find any solid proof that the fabled arena of Energy's Firstborn even existed. It might even just be a peasant's fable made up on the spot to steal Artaghh's coin, but the bald swordsman had faith that there was truth to it. They needed to find the colosseum above the clouds, and hunt the energy dragon wherever it made its nest.

It'd be dangerous, of course, but Artaghh was for once prepared in that manner. He'd gathered a crack party of seven of Dawn's finest to hunt dragons, and he was going to make full use of their skills and assets to bring down the ancient beast of energy. Sors Ultovex, Master Riftmancer, Necromancer, Doctor, and Nethradin Summoner. The Vishkar siblings Lord Adjudicator Alastor and Lady Amelie, both violently proficient Oscuri energy magi. Ser Chroma Zanders, the Knight of the Red Star, his own protégé. His own brother Allende, who'd aided greatly with his tactical insight during the hunt for the Swuisarme King. And of course, just nearby singing and fishing, his faithful bard Chaaca Khan, who would compose the great song of the finest dragon hunt Agartha would ever see.
(Artaghh)
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 The energy magi would finally think about nothing at all, having sifted through his life issues and dealt with them while maintaining his trance as he began to focus on the pathways of mana that ran throughout his body. Visualizing them within his internal mindscape, the knight would meditate calmly for hours, listening to Chaaca's worthy, melodic efforts of bardhood as he did his best to truly master his mind.

He'd never been very emotional as an earth magi, but there'd been times where passion had caught the better of him. Yet, if he was going to become an heir of the Mystic Arts, he'd need to be more serious. He was thirty two years old, a knight that had served Dawn for twelve years, sworn an oath he intended to uphold for a city he loved and a lady he loved more. As he subtly flowed mana through his well trained circuits, the knight thought back to the taxing, brutal training sessions he'd forced his body to its absolute breaking point to achieve a sort of ascension. As the glistening shroud of his overdrive crackled about the knight as he continued his meditation, a smile would creep upon his one eyed faced. The body was a lot simpler to strengthen than the mind.
(Artaghh)
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 Chaaca smiled as he reeled in a trout, as he chuckled to himself. Perhaps singing a depressing song while fishing was a bad idea? In hindsight it seemed obvious, but hindsight is 20/20. Either way, he and Artaghh probably needed a more uplifting song, but what would he sing? He kinda lost the sea shanty lyrics that Artie had given him years ago. Huh, he should probably ask for another copy of those. He'd glance back at Artaghh for a moment, probably best to wait a little bit on that.

The more pressing matter at hand right now, was what to sing... It's not like he had any instruments on him right now, well besides his trusty Kazoo.... Perhaps he could think up a powerful song right now for Artaghh? YEA FUCK IT! Time to wing it!
(Chaaca Khan)
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 Ser Artaghh would achieve a state of gravitational stasis and empty mind as he steady pulsated mana through his circuits, flowing energy ceaselessly through his body as he mindlessly meditated in the frosty outskirts of the northern tundras of Dawn. Freeing his mind had taken much time and introspection, but he had both in spades. Having mulled through his life's primary concerns, he had brought about a sense of peace that allowed the knight a sense of true oblivion, sentient mana.
(Artaghh)
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 A smile crept across the Sirenian's face. YES, he knew exactly what he would write for Artaghh, it'd be a fast paced, and powerful "boogie" of sorts for the man he considered his second older brother. Chaaca quickly got to his feet as he could feel the melody of the song flowing through him. He didn't know what the instruments in the background would sound like, but he could feel the lyrics screaming at him.

"VALMASIAN DREAM!" Yea that was the ideal way to start it out, though in future he'd hold the notes on Valmasian Dream, yea that seemed like a good idea. "He's just a common man, working hard with his hands." Chaaca nodded to himself, as he felt the soul of the song flow through him. "He's just a common man working hard for the man."

Now to test his theory with holding out Valmasian Dream. "Hey He's Vvvvaaaaaalllmmmaaasssiiiaan Dreammm!" Yea, that was grand, hell he might as well repeat it!"Hey He's Vvvvaaaaaalllmmmaaasssiiiaan Dreammm!" One verse was probably all he needed for the song, after all it was just a quick boogie to demonstrate the kind of man Artaghh was.

"If you are black or white
redneck funky that's alright
blew up on out of soul
call the man he's got his goal"

Ideal, that was so Yama damn ideal that all he had to do now was repeat "Hey He's Vvvvaaaaaalllmmmaaasssiiiaan Dreammm!" A couple more times, and the song would be good to go.

After three or four more of those, he glances over at Artaghh hoping the man had finished meditating to notice the song he had "written" forhim. Provided he was done, a small grin would form as he asked.

"So, what'd you think?"
(Chaaca Khan)
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 Ser Artaghh was jolted out of his meditative trance from the sudden explosion of song from the bard, remaining eye opened in a sudden blink as his aura of mana vanished, his concentration lost. Falling into the dirt, the knight would glance up at the Sirenian for a time before barking out in laughter, nodding steadily as he gave a thumbs up of approval to the tune before steadily heading back towards Dawn.
(Artaghh)
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 Chaaca Khan asks, "Headin' back?"
 Artaghh says, "Tha'll do."
 Chaaca Khan says, "It's just the first song."
Chaaca Khan says, "I'll write a bunch more about ya... Provided I don't get gibbed by the dragon."
 Artaghh says, "That'd be a plus."
 Artaghh says, "Worst case, ye'll make a fine undead fishman bard."
 Chaaca Khan asks, "You say that, but what if the dragon turns me to actual dust?"
Chaaca Khan asks, "Where do we go from there?"
 Chaaca Khan says, "Eh, I'll worry about it later."
 Chaaca Khan says, "I'm gonna go pass out, take it easy Artie."