The best part of becoming a royal mage isn't the money, or the prestige, or even the knowledge of all of the spells and such. Nah, it's the travel, y'savvy? The wondrous mystery of the unknown! If you've never been outside Verdania, you've got to give it a shot. Get on a ship, or take a hike over to Hali'Tuin, or whatever, just do it!

Tried to do longer paragraphs on this one, ended up having to cut the story short but, you know, that makes it more mysterious :3c
Tune in next Thursday_Prompt for (hopefully) the sequel!

Glossary:


magic: Every spell in Alka requires ingredients of some kind, and many of these spells come in the form of potions. The art of spellcraft involves careful measurements, specific techniques, and also a touch of etherial manipulation. Without a mage's inborn talent, not even a person following a spell's recipe to the letter can hope to create one for themselves.

ether: Sometimes called lifeforce or mana, this is a mysterious energy that suffuses the world of Alka, allowing mages to cast spells and giving rise to many strange, magical plants and animals.

Halik: The twin god of fire, war, and magic. The weathered and cracked carvings in his temple read: "At the beginning, he laid out the Edicts, shaping and constraining the flow of ether. In that way, he set the paths for mortals to follow to great glory and fortune."

Dutuin: The twin goddess of ice, wisdom, and magic. The carefully-preserved ancient texts in her temple read: "From nothing, she created the River of ether that flows through the world of Alka. In that way, she provided an opportunity for life to flourish forever more."

snakecat: This is the Alka term for a polecat, so called because of their long, slender, bendy bodies.

alkemy: While spellcraft is the art of creating already discovered spells, alkemy is the pursuit of discovering new ones. It is more difficult by several degrees, given that a faulty recipe could turn to poison, explode unexpectedly, or even drain the alkemist of all of their ether.

etherial scope: This fragile device allows one to visualize the ether in living things and in spells. It is an invaluable tool to any investigator...or thief.

alk: The anthropomorphic residents of Alka call themselves alks to differentiate themselves from the animals that they resemble.

Scourgebane: A title bestowed by the king of Verdania to the brave knight who not only fought off the monstrous hordes to the south, but also decimated the barbarians, bandits, and black magicians. Everyone in Verdania knows of him, but few know that he wielded the sword of Ceremona: Ceres. (To learn more about Linara and the Scourgebane, read Animus.)

Ceremona: The forgotten goddess of life, hospitality, and union. The only clue as to how widespread her influence used to be is the fact that every alk of every nation, no matter their language, uses the word "ceremony" to describe the same thing. Even though few actively worship her, she is the second most involved goddess in the affairs of mortals.

Verdania: With its numerous trade routes, wealth of magical resources, and status as the seat of Belbatoria's worship, it is not uncommon to hear people say that Verdania is the center of the world.

Belbatoria: The proud goddess of order, light, and knowledge. Of all of the gods and their followers, hers are the most numerous, with devotees across the entire world.

soaproot: Though this is technically a water-aspected plant, it is more often used as a cleaning agent in all sorts of applications, from personal hygiene to spellcrafting devices.

Hali'Tuin: This is best described as a continent of extremes. Hali is a humid hellish jungle, full of deadly animals and virulent disease. On the other side of the Twin's Divide mountain range, Tuin is a frozen, desolate wasteland. Despite the harsh conditions, the people that live there, the Halini and Tuini, have managed to carve out a niche for themselves with clever inventions and mighty magic.

gryphon: This noble magical animal used to be known as the symbol of Ceremona, but they were all hunted to extinction, along with the rare few gryphon alks.

parer: It's easy to forget...

etherplasm: Etherplasm is an invisible, mostly intangible waste product left behind by certain monsters. If inhaled, it often leads to vivid hallucinations.

Qerlon Mysterium: A grimoire detailing the forbidden secrets of soul magic, deemed too reprehensible for the world by the Scourgebane only after he had tried and failed to revive his daughter with it. Unbeknownst to him, the ritual had actually worked, though it took some time for her soul to recover.

Zzix: While this is the name of the god of corruption, death, and insects, the same name is sometimes used to refer to their dominion: the land of the dead.