Roleplay

With a wild curse and a mad sweep of one clawed fist, Mairon sent tools, equipment, and papers flying from the desk. The lackey who'd been sent to give him the news cowered in fear.

Curse these mud-spawn and their inability to follow simple directions! They'd had one job, ONE JOB - how hard could it have been to capture a single injured Wildclaw? Mairon could have done so much with the uppity supposed clan leader, Maedhros, back in his lord's power. . .

Huffing, Mairon dismissed his attendant with a wordless snarl, not even checking whether the other dragon had fled. Instead, the Spiral stepped to the ledge of his tower's single window, spread his wings, and dove. He pulled up sharply before he reached the ground, but the thrill of flying would never leave him. He tore across the sky, flames streaking in his wake, and the farther he pulled away from the Angband stronghold, the clearer his thoughts grew.

He would be avenged for this slight, Mairon decided as he landed with a showy shower of gravel, many miles from his tower. All he had to do was figure out how.






This is pointless. Absolutely pointless. Celebrimbor turned a crumpled map in his claws, tearing the edge out of frustration. For someone who was so desperate for his aid, surely they could have provided some clearer instructions on where to find them? It was Ancalagon's brother who had requested him, asking for aid at the forge, all sorts of metallurgy. Which of course, was his specialty. However, the clan leader's brother was not quite as respectable a dragon as Ancalagon himself, and it was with great reluctance that he set off in search of this strange dragon and his clan. But, anything that aided his clan's relations with the other would be some benefit, he supposed.

A scratching sound caused the white wildclaw's head to pop up from the torn map. Is someone there? But from his position, he couldn't see who had caused the disruption. Ah well, better to investigate than to turn a blind eye. Trotting behind the thick trunk of a dead tree, he poked his head out from behind, glimpsing a fiery and well-decorated spiral. Another smith like himself, perhaps? Anyhow, it couldn't do any harm in asking for directions... right?

"Ho, there!" He called, stepping out from behind the tree, but still maintaining a safe distance. "Would you be kind enough to give me a few directions, stranger? I seem to have lost my way among these lands."





Mairon's head whipped about at the first sound of movement from somewhere amongst the rocks and dead trees that littered the ground where he had landed. It was a scratching of claws that sounded like another dragon about his own size, but Mairon hadn't survived for as long as he had by taking chances.

With a whisper, he called a small globe of flame into being and, cupping his clawtips around it, directed the fire to summon an image of the dragon that Mairon had heard moving somewhere nearby. His magicks didn't disappoint - Mairon was shown a Wildclaw behind the dead tree trunks and boulders only a few meters away.

A tall, handsome Wildclaw. . .

Mairon, already taken by the stranger's appearance, was amused by the other dragon's struggles with a poorly-drawn map and intrigued to see the tools and adornments that seemed to mark the Wildclaw as a fellow metalsmith. Banishing the visionary flames with a thought, Mairon decided that he must charm this intriguing creature into following him, by the gods! It would be nice to have another fellow smith in Angband lands, and Mairon had long grown tired of his own mate, Tyelperinquar. . .

His mind made up, Mairon scratched his foreclaws hard against a nearby boulder. He had been silent since his landing, and although this noise was unpleasant, it should be loud enough to attract the Wildclaw's attention. For if Mairon knew anything about smiths such as yourself, O Admirable One?, it was that they were inquisitive creatures to a fault.

And lo, there the Wildclaw was! Inwardly Mairon preened at his success, but outwardly, he tried to project an air of being startled by the other dragon's appearance.

"Ho, there!" the Wildclaw cried, stopping at a fair distance from him - disappointing. "Would you be kind enough to give me a few directions, stranger? I seem to have lost my way among these lands."

Perfect, perfect, perfect! But Mairon kept his face deceptively smooth before giving a crumpled look of distress.

"Ah, my apologies, stranger - I am lost as well!" he lied ruefully. "Thank the gods for their providence, though - I am elated to see a friendly face in these dangerous wilds!"

"I am called Annatar," Mairon finished. "And I would be so humbly grateful, generous stranger, if you would consider letting me travel with you - for safety's sake in these dangerous lands, of course. Perhaps we may find the road, working together?"






The rain on the late mid-spring eve had brought with it many mushrooms to gather, a fungus not native to The Ashfall Waste where Silvenar's nameless clan resides. Though, no plant was native to the unforgiving territory, at least outside of the mage's home where he grew them carefully. With his supply so limited, and tension strong in the air with the neighboring clans, he couldn't turn away the opportunity to collect more. Together with his companion at his side, he set out along his worn dirt trail in search for herbs and especially their fungus relatives.

The next hour of light passed with ease, Silvenar's pouch had almost gotten full with healing herbs and other trinkets, but there had yet to be a sign of any mushrooms. It was a foolish decision, but he had decided to travel further off their familiar trail in search for them. They passed through the bushes that marked their trail, and the mage made sure to mark trees along the way, tapping his staff against them and watching as vines began to grow along the trunk, bright flowers blooming and showing their way. With a stoke of luck he had began to find some mushrooms not long after, they were small but they were there, which meant there would be bigger ones not far off!

The mage knelled down, and set his staff down to collect the cluster of mushrooms at the trunk of a tree, when a great thump in the distance caused the pair to flinch in unison, their eyes scanning the thick forest trying to catch a glimpse of what could have produced such a sound in these territories. The wildclaw stuffed the mushrooms into his pouch secured onto his waist and grabbed his staff from its place in the dirt, holding it at the ready. "Come, come!" he ushered his companion and they set off running toward the noise.

The first thing he had noticed was the trees, the trees were burned! The slowed in their tracks and he touched the singed tree, watching the blackened soot coat his claws; his eyes frantically searching for who had done this when a flash of red caught his eye. Silvenar ducked behind a tree far away and peered out toward where the trees had gotten burned, closer to the heat source. It wasn't long before he caught sight of a Spiral, their mouth was moving but he couldn't see who they were talking to. Their eyes were covered, but the searing emblem upon their forehead told who they had pledged their allegiance to and it brought a chill down his spine. While he lived in the Ashfall Waste, he knew he would be a fool to approach a possible hostile fire dragon, as he wouldn't have much strength to fight against it.

The harvest cat's ears twitched with interest and it moved to walk forward and investigate the strangers when the staff shot out in front it, it turned and looked to it's leader in confusion. "It won't do to put ourselves into the affairs of others- at least not until we know why they have come."





The spiral, Annatar, wasn't it? seemed friendly enough, so Celebrimbor decided to abandon the wary distance he had left between them to go and give a proper introduction, approaching and giving a small bow of his head. "A pleasure to meet you, my friend Annatar! You may call me Celebrimbor" He offered the spiral a friendly smile before pulling out the torn map with a sigh. "'Tis a shame that these paths are not better marked! Then perhaps we would both have a better time finding our ways." He laughed. "But as for sharing the road, I would be most grateful for your company!" It would seem that Celebrimbor's original suspicions had been correct, as he looked closer at Annatar. He was decorated in finely-wrought metals, gold, iron, and not to mention the flame-colored gemstones on his head and neck, complemented nicely with the shower of embers swirling about him in a fiery mist; similar to those that fluttered around himself. "Forgive me if I am wrong, but you appear to be a smith as well, are you not? I was sent by my clan leader to train some dragons in his brother's clan in the art of smithing. But it has indeed been a long time since I have met another with such fantastic skill." He added, beckoning to the metallic adornments draped over Annatar's scales.

Another noise on the wind caught the wildclaw's attention. What was it he heard, faint whispers? He broke his gaze from the spiral for a moment to turn his head to the treeline. Through the leaves, he could see a faint green glow, an emblem? ... a glimpse of movement. He turned back to the spiral again. "It would appear as if we are not alone here..."






"It wouldn't do to put ourselves in the affairs of others. . ."

Mairon heard another dragon and some other sort of creature approaching himself and the Wildclaw, but he focused more of his attention on the shining white dragon, even as he heard the newcomer whisper about entering the affairs of others. He would deal with this new dragon soon - a Nature mage, if his senses didn't lie, and Mairon fought not to keep his lip from curling in disgust.

Instead, he focused on the white Wildclaw, who introduced himself as Celebrimbor, confirmed that he was also a smith, and seemed intrigued by Mairon's glimmering jewelry. Mairon was flattered - he had made every piece himself, and no one in his faction ever appreciated the amount of work that had gone into his appearance!

"You are too kind, Celebrimbor," he said smoothly, brushing off his own accomplishments and the compliment of "fantastic skills." "And your own work is nothing short of beautiful." He looked pointedly to the red wings of silk-like material fluttering at the Wldclaw's knees. "Surely a smith of your caliber can call upon some sorcery as well?"

He just needed to know whether he would be able to fight the shining Wildclaw if his first plan to mislead him didn't work. . . Or if the other dragon in the undergrowth nearby decided to step in.





Celebrimbor's attention had wandered from the stranger in the trees back to the shining spiral. Annatar had seemed rather grateful of his earlier compliment. Had no one paid any attention to his work in his clan? It would be a shame if that were true, he thought. Smithing is an art in its own, and no artist should be ignored! Oh, he was talking again, Celebrimbor had almost become distracted by his own thoughts.

"And your own work is nothing short of beautiful. Surely a smith of your caliber can call upon some sorcery as well?"

Celebrimbor looked down, nearly unaware of the gold and ruby twining that was laced about his legs. "Ah, thank you, thank you..." He reached down and ran a claw over the glimmering red pieces at the top of the curled strands of gold. "Rubies laced in red silk... was an awful nuisance to make, but it was worth it in the end... as for sorcery," He looked up again with a chuckle, blinking his crimson eyes. "I was never blessed enough to have been born under the Flamecaller's guidance. Plague magicks are useful in battle, but they don't do much good at the forge, unfortunately. Although, I have been trying to learn some magicks and spells of the fire element, though they are small." Here he held out his hand, watching as a drifting ember lit with a sudden flame in his palm. He held it for a moment before flicking his wrist and extinguishing it into a wisp of smoke. "However, I have found that using magicks of an element other than your own can be horribly exhausting." He gave another grin. "I can only imagine how great of a blessing it would be to have a more complete control over fire."






The spiral continued to talk and Silvenar dared to reach his neck out farther to try and catch sight of who he was talking to, if anyone, did he have a sickness of the mind? Was their plague eyes hiding behind the blindfold? The wildclaw became so interested in the idea, he hadn't realized he was sticking out of cover a fair amount, his natural camouflage could only do him so much good. Farther and farther he leaned, he saw white, red, black, red.. eyes. "Gladekeeper's breath.." he whispered the curse to himself and tried to duck his head away, he had forgotten all about his own emblem, being so used to its presence.

It was too late now, he couldn't run, they would come and investigate, see the way back to his clan- and he wouldn't run, for prides sake, his clan leaders would not hear of it. "Come now." he said softly and leaned down to scoop his companion from the ground, letting him climb up into the safety of his gladeboughs. After a few steadying breaths, which truthfully probably lasted a lot longer than he felt as he gathered his courage, the mage gripped his staff tight and put it out of his hiding spot, walking along with it until he was into view.

Silvenar ducked under the overgrowth and made his way toward the strangers until he decided he was about close enough and poked his staff into the ground, leaning heavily on it. The companion on his back peeked out, it's ears folded back and leaves ruffled with suspicion, while his leader just gave a good look over of the others. "You are very far from where you come from." he drawled, eyes flickering between them; this was just speculation of course, he himself living in the Ashfall Waste it wasn't unusual to live under other guardians, but the lost look on the other wildclaw's face told him at least one of them had gotten turned around.






Mairon cursed internally when Celebrimbor admitted that he could wield Plague magicks, but at least the white Wildclaw didn't seem too disposed toward using those abilities, which Mairon knew could be quite deadly in battle. But then: "I can only imagine how great of a blessing it would be to have a more complete control over fire," Celebrimbor concluded - almost sadly, if Mairon was any judge - and that he could work with!

"A pity, my friend," Mairon said sadly, "especially for a smith of your talents! Rubies in silk, gold and gold lacings - even I had never considered such combinations, and for you to have achieved them without a mastery of fire - well, that is nothing short of miraculous. Believe me when I tell you that this is said not to disparage your abilities, but indeed to applaud them - you have done so much already, I shudder for the competition I would face could you wield Fire as I do!"

Mairon made a disappointed face then, as if he hadn't planned to admit that he was of Fire affinities. "Ah, forgive my indiscretion, Celebrimbor - I AM proud of being of Fire. But I started out much as you did, just now - with small flames, tended to grow. I have no doubt that you could increase your skills, if only you had a suitable tutor."

He would have said more - proposing himself as the tutor, what else? - but the second dragon in the undergrowth chose just that moment to make himself known. Mairon heard a whispered curse, and then another Wildclaw - a Nature mage, this one, by his eyes and his emblem - sauntered from the undergrowth, its odd green eyes flicking between Mairon and Celebrimbor almost uneasily.

"You are very far from where you come from," the new dragon drawled.

Beneath his blindfold - a piece of cloth he wore for appearance only, as his sight worked perfectly well - Mairon narrowed his eyes. Was this newcomer calling his lie? He couldn't afford that! He had to keep Celebrimbor believing that he was just as lost!





All of Celebrimbor's statements about the fire flight had left him feeling a bit nostalgic. He had visited the Ashfall Wastes only a few times in his life, and he certainly longed to return. Annatar's words suddenly broke through his daydreams, and he focused once more on the spiral.

"A pity, my friend, especially for a smith of your talents! Rubies in silk, gold and gold lacings - even I had never considered such combinations, and for you to have achieved them without a mastery of fire - well, that is nothing short of miraculous. Believe me when I tell you that this is said not to disparage your abilities, but indeed to applaud them - you have done so much already, I shudder for the competition I would face could you wield Fire as I do!"

Ah, so he was a fire dragon. Not that Celebrimbor hadn't already inferred the fact, but then again, he hadn't been entirely sure, given the fact that Annatar's eyes were hidden under a maroon-colored blindfold.

"Ah, forgive my indiscretion, Celebrimbor - I AM proud of being of Fire. But I started out much as you did, just now - with small flames, tended to grow. I have no doubt that you could increase your skills, if only you had a suitable tutor."

It seemed a bit obvious what the fiery spiral was hinting at here. He's offering to teach me himself, isn't he? But Celebrimbor was not at all against the idea. To be taught in the arts of fire magicks by a skilled smith? What better way was there to learn the trade? The simple flames he could conjure now would not be of much use in the long run, he would have to practice to improve.

"Many thanks for your compliments, friend Annatar," He began, with a respectful bow of his head. "And indeed, I would like nothing better than to improve my skills with fire. Again, forgive me if I am wrong, but you did seem to be a bit eager to mention the idea of a tutor. If you were indeed suggesting that you could aid me, I would be very grateful to accept your assistance and wisdom."

In all honesty, he was thrilled at the idea. Plague magicks were useful, yes, but aside from combat they didn't do much. But fire... fire could work wonders. Metals shaped gracefully into an assortment of beautiful things, jewellery, weapons, and a good many other things; they all needed fire to be shaped, to be created. Turning chunks of metal into brilliant broadswords, all with a simple mastery of flames! He really hoped that he hadn't sounded too eager... he still had a reputation to maintain, after all.

Another flash of movement caught his eye, and turning his head, Celebrimbor saw what must have been the dragon behind the treeline a few minutes before. A wildclaw, like himself, although drastically different in terms of appearance. Whereas his own form was decorated with floating embers and assorted adornments of his own creation, this new arrival clutched a wooden staff, and had a pair of gladeboughs draped across his shoulders, in which a small floracat peered out from.

"You are very far from where you come from," the stranger muttered, eyes flicking between himself and Annatar.

Celebrimbor gave a small chuckle. "Indeed," he laughed. "In fact, the both of us are quite lost. I have a map of my destination, but i am afraid it is poorly drawn and quite useless. If you know anything about these surrounding lands, stranger, would you be as kind as to give a few directions?"





When Celebrimbor asked for directions, the Nature mage disappeared back into the undergrowth as quickly as he had first appeared, and Mairon breathed a quick, silent sigh of relief. He was sorry that the other dragon had gone before Mairon could learn more about him, but the Spiral was also relieved that his lie to Celebrimbor, the deception that he too was lost, still held. . .

For, unless Mairon was much mistaken, he had the glimmering white Wildclaw hooked. "I would like nothing better than to improve my skills with fire," Celebrimbor had just said, sounding somewhat wistful to Mairon's delighted ears. "Again, forgive me if I heard wrong, but you did seem to be a bit eager to mention the idea of a tutor. If you were indeed suggesting that you could aid me, I would be very grateful to accept your assistance and wisdom."

Hah! Mairon crowed internally, replaying this admittance to himself as Celebrimbor spoke to the nature mage, and smoothing his face when the mage disappeared and Celebrimbor turned back to him. Play it carefully, there's no telling how his pride will take an actual offer. . .

Slow would never hurt, Mairon decided. He would credit the tutoring idea to the Wildclaw. "Aah, you flatter me, my generous friend - I am not sure my humble skills would best serve your learning, but if you would have my poor arts, I would be more than happy to impart what crumbs of skill I have!"

There. And then an even better scheme suggested itself to Mairon, an idea of how he could lure the smith into his faction's lands.

"It is too bad that we are both lost here." He gestured around them to where the rocky ground met the forest where the Nature mage had initially appeared. "However, I have heard that a wise and generous lord rules the lands not so far from here - if it suits, I will postpone my errand to seek him with you, and see if he has a forge that I might borrow to work with you?"

Once he actually got Celebrimbor to his tower, of course, Mairon was counting on the spectacular workspaces to distract the Wildclaw from asking about Mairon's easy acceptance with this mysterious benevolent lord - especially since that's what Mairon was calling himself.

"Is there anything in particular you would want to learn?"





Well, that was odd... Celebrimbor couldn't help but think as the treelike wildclaw turned and disappeared back into the treeline. So much for actual directions. Annatar, however, didn't seem any more fazed by the vanishing of the other dragon than he had been by his initial appearance, still holding up his conversation as if nothing had happened.

"Aah, you flatter me, my generous friend - I am not sure my humble skills would best serve your learning, but if you would have my poor arts, I would be more than happy to impart what crumbs of skill I have!"

Ah, but the spiral was understating his own skills and mastery. from what Celebrimbor had seen, he was incredibly talented! He opened his mouth to speak again, probably to remind him of this, but Annatar continued.

"It is too bad that we are both lost here. However, I have heard that a wise and generous lord rules the lands not so far from here - if it suits, I will postpone my errand to seek him with you, and see if he has a forge that I might borrow to work with you? Is there anything in particular you would want to learn? "

The idea sounded terrific... but only how was Celebrimbor reminded of his own errand. which, conveniently, had slipped from his mind for nearly this whole time. But... he had made good time in crossing the Shrieking Wilds... as well as most of the lands before this point. And it's not like I know where to go from here anyway. He would have to find some way of communicating to Ancalagon's brother. "You are very kind, my friend. And I am inclined to accept your generous offer, although, I must find some sort of way to send a notice to my destination, as I cannot put off my mission for good."

As for what he wanted to learn... Gods, there were so many things... he had to stop himself from spilling out a jumble of hastily-spoken words.

"Regarding what I would hope to learn... I'm afraid I haven't delved deep enough into fire magicks to understand their true potential, however, as a start, I should hope to figure out a way to prevent myself becoming exhausted after using magicks of an element other then my own. I have these, at the moment..." He gestured to the swirling embers around him "They're enchanted to aid me in those sort of things, but it would always be a good thing to not have to depend on them."







"You are very kind, my friend," Celebrimbor said, and Mairon could barely keep himself from smirking - it was too easy! But then the Wildclaw continued: "And I am inclined to accept your generous offer, although I must find some sort of way to send a notice to my destination, as I cannot put off my mission for good."

Curses. Mairon had been so enchanted by Celebrimbor that he'd nearly forgotten exactly what the other dragon's errand was. Would the leader's brother know to expect him, though - and more importantly, would he take any action if Celebrimbor never showed up?

But before Mairon could truly interrogate the other dragon on that score, Celebrimbor continued:

"Regarding what I would hope to learn... I'm afraid I haven't delved deep enough into fire magicks to understand their true potential. However, as a start, I should hope to figure out a way to prevent myself becoming exhausted after using magicks of an element other then my own."

From there, Celebrimbor babbled a bit more on the embers swirling about his body - much like those around Mairon's own - but Mairon's mind was already racing through what the Wildclaw had revealed so far. What could he hope to offer the other dragon, to make him forget his pathetic errand and come with Mairon? Some sort of art, or even artefact, that would let a non-Fire dragon harness and use Fire magicks - but something that Mairon himself controlled, ultimately, so that Celebrimbor could never truly threaten him.

He would have to consider this further, but in the meantime, Mairon decided he would at least start Celebrimbor down that path.

"Your devotion to an errand that even I can see bores you - and your loyalty to a dragon you truly owe nothing! - are commendable, Celebrimbor, and if you come with me, I will see that a message is sent to the clan you were traveling to." He wouldn't, really, but there was no need to let the Wildclaw smith know that.

"But in the meantime, come with me?" He took a step away from Celebrimbor and held out a clawed hand - strategically, wrist and all framed with glittering gold bangles he had forged himself. When the other dragon didn't move immediately, Mairon shook his hand enticingly, making the bangles jingle, hopefully bringing their beauty - and the promise that the Wildclaw could soon make his own! - to Celebrimbor's mind.






"Your devotion to an errand that even I can see bores you - and your loyalty to a dragon you truly owe nothing! - are commendable, Celebrimbor, and if you come with me, I will see that a message is sent to the clan you were traveling to."

Celebrimbor wasn't entirely sure what was going through his mind. There were too many thought and feelings all flying past so quickly that he barely had time to grasp what they were. Admittedly, he agreed with the Annatar's first statement. As much as he felt that it was his duty to go and do as Ancalagon asked of him, he really wasn't looking forward to it. It was, of course, a lovely thought that other dragons would soon pick up on their skills at the forge, and start to create things of their own, but Celebrimbor wasn't a teacher. The younger dragons would make mistakes, of course. Everyone did. But what he really hated were the select few who got frustrated and took it out on him, the one who was trying to teach them in the first place. Not to mention the dragons who would continuously ask the same questions over and over, regardless of whether the answers were already given. Yes, the idea of fire magicks was far more promising. Maybe he could send a message to one of the other smiths, Morwen and Freyja. Morwen in particular loved teaching younger dragons different skills, and although she wasn't quite as skilled as he was, she would probably get the job done better then he could.

"But in the meantime, come with me?"

The words reached his ears, and he faltered for a short moment. Ancalagon would not be pleased with his decision, of course, but with such an incredible opportunity at hand... well, how could he pass it up? He might never get another chance quite like this one ever again. He might never be able to do what he most desired. The wisest course of action would be to send a note to Morwen or Ancalagon, apologize for changing plans, and asking Morwen to go in his stead. But I'll forget... I know I'll forget...

The jingling noise of Annatar's jewelry snapped him back to the present. The spiral had stretched out his hand, asking Celebrimbor to go with him. He hadn't even realized. How long was I staring into space? Just as soon as he had thought it, his own hand had taken Annatar's, giving it a friendly shake. "Very well," he spoke again, still almost debating whether this was a good idea. "I would be honored to accompany you. I will send out a note to my friend when we arrive, and hopefully she can resume my errand in my stead."

He had to admit it... even though the guilt of his actions was still gnawing at his conscious, he was truly excited for the events to come.





Perhaps it was exaggeration speaking, but Mairon imagined that he could practically hear duty and curiosity clashing in Celebrimbor's mind. The white Wildclaw pursed his face, as if listing all the reasons he shouldn't go with Mairon - and then, as suddenly as those troubles had come, they vanished with a blinding smile and Celebrimbor clasped Mairon's bejeweled hand with a friendly shake.

"Very well, I will be honored to accompany you. I will send out a note to my friend when we arrive, and hopefully she can resume my errand in my stead."

Perfect. Mairon would see to it that the note either disappeared, or was misaddressed to look like it had come from somewhere other than the foothills of the Starfall Strand, where his tower was located - but those were cares for another day. In the meantime, he was dedicated to convincing Celebrimbor that he could master Fire magicks - and actually, the more Mairon thought about it, the more he began to realize that maybe, actually, it wasn't a complete lie. He'd been planning something along these lines already, a sorcerous project that might actually be perfectly applied here. . .

These thoughts crossed his mind in the blink of an eye, and Mairon returned Celebrimbor's handshake more delicately than the Wildclaw had - subtly encouraging the impression that the other dragon was the stronger, in case he still had his doubts.

"Wonderful!" he said enthusiastically as their hands withdrew. "Come, let us start right away, but as we walk, would you care to talk about an idea?"

For that would be his approach, Mairon decided, as he set off back in the direction he had initially come and hoping that Celebrimbor would follow. He would pretended that his sorcerous project was an idea that Celebrimbor had inspired him to, rather than something he had already long been testing, and hopefully this would ensnare encourage the other dragon's awe and gratitude. . .





As much as the voices inside his head were clashing with one another, Celebrimbor couldn't bring himself to regret his decision. The thrill, the adrenaline of excitement that ran through his veins never ceased for a moment through the entire conversation with Annatar. But still, he couldn't fully chase away the guilt. Ancalagon sent me on that mission for a reason... and I've probably let him down. At least Morwen would be able to complete the task, she'd be the better candidate anyway. Or am I just saying that to comfort myself?

"Wonderful!" Annatar's voice sounded from beside him. "Come, let us start right away, but as we walk, would you care to talk about an idea?"

With that, the spiral turned and began to walk in a different direction, leaving Celebrimbor to turn and catch up with him. "Of course," he replied, hoping that his conflicting emotions didn't show in his voice. At least, he was trying not to show them. "What sort of idea do you speak of?"





Celebrimbor still looked slightly guilty, as if considering other responsibilities still, but Mairon counted his first step a success nonetheless because the Wildclaw smith eventually hurried to catch up with him - and as he did so, asked the crucial question.

"What sort of idea do you speak of?"

Mairon couldn't restrain a small, hopefully not furtive smile as he answered - he had to be careful not to reveal that he had already been working on this project for a few months, but he thought he could do that. . .

"Your passing wish that you could somehow bolster your own abilities in order to control a non-native magick was very insightful, Celebrimbor, whether you realize it or not! Instead of trying to give a Plague dragon Fire magicks, or a Fire dragon Plague magicks" - not that he would mind having Plague magick himself - "why not create some type of artefact that is itself imbued with the non-native element, and harnesses the user's willpower to direct it? That way, nothing need be spent, expended, or exhausted that did not already exist within its user - and according to its user's own measure of power."

"And if you could be persuaded to undertake this venture with me" - Mairon twisted to look at Celebrimbor as he continued, though the other dragon would only see the blindfold - "I think your continued insight as a non-Fire smith could be invaluable. I tried to work with another smith some years ago" - what he wasn't going to tell Celebrimbor was that this dragon was Mairon's mate, Tyelperinquar - "but she did not have the discipline or skill that I have already seen in you."

He turned away again before he could see how Celebrimbor reacted to this pretty little speech, just so the other dragon wouldn't feel threatened - but gods, he hoped it worked. . .

@ForestGuardian

{{Here's the new thread for Celebrimbor and Mairon's ring-making venture! I've copy/pasted all the original posts into one big reference above (just let me know if any more changes are needed!), and this thread is ready to go whenever you are!

Just some ideas moving forward - if you like, I know your Thorin and my Maedhros met early on, so that might be one way to bring more of your dragons in if you'd like? Otherwise I'm thinking Mairon will lure Celebrimbor into his faction's territory where they meet one or two of the other dragons there some of which I haven't ever RP'ed as before! yay! and get to making some world-threatening ringses :D

And please don't worry about having to post every day or respond right away if you can't! I know that although I try, I can't always either thanks to school and work, meh}}

@RaisingCain ((AAAAAAH I'M SO EXCITED, YAAAASSSSSS I'd love to bring some more dragons in, (and maybe bring back some of the old ones... if I could find a way to make it work, I'd love to bring in Thorin and Anthem together :3 ) but aaaaaaaah I can't wait to meet some more of yours!

Schedule wise, I should probably be able to post at least once a day, unless I'm without my laptop, (which isn't very often XD)

Now I'm gonna go let Celebrimbor do his thing and see how this plays out! (Also, this is my first 1x1 RP so I'm super excited for it! :D ) ))

@RaisingCain ((Hopefully it's okay that I'm posting this now)) [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=19966916] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/199670/19966916_350.png[/img] [/url] "Your passing wish that you could somehow bolster your own abilities in order to control a non-native magick was very insightful, Celebrimbor, whether you realize it or not! Instead of trying to give a Plague dragon Fire magicks, or a Fire dragon Plague magicks, why not create some type of artefact that is itself imbued with the non-native element, and harnesses the user's willpower to direct it? That way, nothing need be spent, expended, or exhausted that did not already exist within its user - and according to its user's own measure of power." Celebrimbor had to admit that he hadn't quite thought of the idea of an artifact such as the one Annatar was describing, but I certainly a very clever idea. Of course, it would have to be an artifact or charmed object that would remain in contact with the user, but would not look too out-of-place or suspicious... perhaps a piece of armor, jewelry... apparel of some sort would do very well. "And if you could be persuaded to undertake this venture with me," Annatar continued, "I think your continued insight as a non-fire smith could be invaluable. I tried to work with another smith some years ago, but she did not have the discipline or skill that I have already seen in you." Still deep in thought, Celebrimbor silently debated Annatar's words, focusing more on the first speech than the second. The process of enchanting an item required an enormous source of power, of course. It would be no small task to infuse that much power into an item, and then make it so the user was able to tap into that power using their mind... "I am grateful that you deem my skills worthy of your time, my friend," Celebrimbor said, still deep in thought. "I must say, I think your plan is quite genius! It would take a good amount of power, but I believe, with both our skills combined that it can be done. I believe that whichever artifact that we enchant, however, should be something both fair in appearance and ordinary in appearance... perhaps a piece of jewelry or armor would serve that purpose well." The sheer possibilities of this plan, Celebrimbor imagined, would be endless. Dragons would no longer be limited by their assigned elements... with items such as these artifacts that Annatar spoke of, so much more power could be wielded by a single dragon... perhaps... it could go as far as to allow one dragon control of all eleven elements... but at what cost? The one bearing such an artifact would have to be incredibly strong, of body and of mind, to avoid becoming corrupted by the idea of such an absolute power, to avoid becoming a slave to a will they might not understand. There had been stories of such things, merely old fairy-tales, but with such an incredible ability at hand, there was no real telling of what such a power could bring.

@ForestGuardian {{aaaagh, yes, so excited :D I haven't done 1x1 RPs here on FR for a while (my last RP partner kind of disappeared on me!) so it's super exciting to be at it again. And I'd definitely love to see Thorin and Anthem together, if you do decide to bring them in at some point! We can plan it out like this or they can just show up somewhere and I'll send someone out to meet them? Either way :D and now, back to the horror show that is Mairon trying to be charming. . . [s]and ohmygod I love how he's already thinking about the potential downfalls of absolute power, Celebrimbor you sweet cinnamon roll[/s]}} [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=12717875] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/127179/12717875_350.png[/img] [/url] Celebrimbor expressed his gratitude in obviously-heartfelt tones - a sincerity that Mairon was quite unused to. He had long been surrounded by those who lied to try and gain his favor or stay his wrath - or by his lord, who would not stoop to either lying or praising him when ordering would do quite well. So it wasn't that Mairon couldn't see lies or empty flattery, but here and now, it was charmingly refreshing not to have to. . . And that endeared the Wildclaw smith to him even further. Even if the sweet, silly creature did presume to understand what Mairon was talking about, even on such short notice, discussing the procedures as something "we" could accomplish. . . Pffff. And his ideas about power, too! Mairon had to smile, though he hoped it came off as impressed rather than indulgent. "Whichever artefact we enchant, however, should be both fair in appearance and ordinary in appearance - perhaps a piece of jewelry or armor would suit well," Celebrimbor mused. Who in their right mind would imbue a piece of jewelry with power? Mairon scoffed, inwardly. Armor, now, there was an option, or better still, a small weapon such as a dagger. But jewelry? What kind of jewelry could withstand such demands yet remain constantly close to hand without being conspicuous? A bracelet or a ring? Hah. Nonsense. Actually, wait. . . He dismissed the thought as a problem for another time, though, and turned back to Celebrimbor as they continued walking. "No, no, these are all good ideas, my friend, and I am sure I could not accomplish such ends without you." Lies, lies, and more lies, but who would ever know? "It now pleases me more than ever that you have decided to accompany me in search of this local lord who might lend or rent us a forge. I estimate that it would take only another day, a single night's stop, to reach the supposed place." In other words, that was where Mairon's own stone tower was located - about a day's journey east, easy walking instead of hard flying, he estimated. He had that much time to finesse a plan for something to forge and something to make Celebrimbor stay, forget his own errand. In the meantime, though, he could accomplish two goals with one blow. "What sorts of Plague magicks do you already boast, my friend?" Mairon asked. He wanted to see how powerful a mage the other was - how much of a threat he might hypothetically pose. "Don't hold back, show me what you can do in your own native element! But before you do, let me take this." He reached for the poorly-drawn map that had ironically led Celebrimbor to him in the first place. "I don't want you to inadvertently damage it further!" And if the parchment might later happen to go up in flames when Celebrimbor turned his back, well, aaaah - accidents happened, didn't they? Mairon held out his hand - the same he had extended to entice the Wildclaw into following him initially - for the map expectantly.

@RaisingCain ((Yaaasssssss :D I'll probably plan out which other dragons to use and how to bring them in, as for Thorin and Anthem, I would imagine that given the fact that they have 5 eggs at the moment, Anthem would have probably persuaded Thorin into joining a clan for their protection, (since otherwise it would be the two of them dealing with five rambunctious hatchlings on their own,) so maybe I'll have them be staying with Celebrimbor's clan, and try to tie them in that way or something. [s]Eh, I'll decide later :3[/s] )) [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=19966916] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/199670/19966916_350.png[/img] [/url] It seemed that Annatar was sharing in Celebrimbor's musings, as the spiral acknowledged his ideas regarding the choice of a wearable sort of artifact. "No, no, these are all good ideas, my friend, and I am sure I could not accomplish such ends without you. It now pleases me more than ever that you have decided to accompany me in search of this local lord who might lend or rent us a forge. I estimate that it would take only another day, a single night's stop, to reach the supposed place." Ah, well that was not a problem for the wildclaw. He had had his fair share of ventures before, and they had been for a less important purpose. [i]Like the one I was supposed to be doing in the first place,[/i] he thought involuntarily, followed by another, probably more moral voice: [i]Shut up.[/i] What a lovely mental conversation. "What sorts of Plague magicks do you already boast, my friend?" Annatar continued, not seeming to have noticed Celebrimbor's distractedness. "Don't hold back, show me what you can do in your own native element! But before you do, let me take this. I don't want you to inadvertently damage it further!" With that, the spiral reached out his hand for the tattered map that remained tucked into the thin gold band that served Celebrimbor as an intricate belt. With a moment's hesitation, the wildclaw pulled it out, looking over the scrawled writings again. It was rather obvious that Annatar was hoping to distract Celebrimbor from his earlier task, and he had succeeded. The wildclaw's red eyes flicked back over the paper. Even if he were to send it to Morwen along with a note asking her to resume his errand in his stead, she wouldn't be able to make any sense of it either. A newborn hatchling should be able to write better than this. Not to mention that the paper was torn and faded enough that parts of the inked scribbles could hardly be seen at all. With another small twinge of regret, he folded up the paper and handed it to Annatar. [i]I'll tell Morwen to ask Ancalagon for a better set of directions.[/i] "As you wish." Celebrimbor spoke the spiral as he passed the torn parchment. Annatar had also asked that he show off his own abilities of the Plague element, a request of which he was more than happy to comply. "As for plague magicks," he held out his hand, watching as soft red wisp slowly poured from his fingers, forming a crimson mist whose glow illuminated the bones of his hand, as if its light penetrated his skin. "There are a good many things a proper plague mage can accomplish. It can bring death, yes, but the qualities the Plaguebringer most values are the ones of survival and endurance. With proper training and knowledge, one could learn the magicks and charms necessary to extend their life, although that sort of advancement takes a challenging amount of strength and skill. If it is used incorrectly, it could invoke a most terrible state of being. You would achieve an extended life, yes, but your own magicks would eat away at your body and soul, until when death finally comes, you embrace it with open arms, as the only escape from the pain and torture that has become life itself." Celebrimbor looked down, focusing more energy to the wisp in his hand. The reddish light grew brighter, and with each pulsating glow, it appeared that the wildclaw's hand was merely bone and muscle, an illusion that disappeared as the light waned. "Of course, I myself do not desire that sort of extension of life, not yet anyway. The magicks used in battle are quite different, designed to weaken your opponents until their own bodies cannot support them. In fact, there are some who say that Plague magicks to not directly kill their enemies, but rather make it so their lives end on their own accord." With a flick of his wrist, the white wildclaw released the wisp, watching as the red bolt whistled through the air until it collided with a blooming green thornbush. Celebrimbor watched as the vivid green color began to fade, shrinking down towards the bottom of the plant as the shoots withered and curled to pale brown twigs, until eventually there was nothing left but a curled husk that resembled a clump of tinder and dried grass. With another quick hand movement, Celebrimbor drew a white mist from the empty husk, along with the previous scarlet wisp. "Plague can drain life, but it is only the more skilled mages who are able to harness life energies, energies that can also be transferred to a different object, if need be." A fluid twist of his arm, and the two wisps intertwined, flowing like an arrow-shaft through the air onto another clump of thorns. This time, the stem of the plant swelled and twisted, new shoots appearing and growing far faster than any plant would naturally. The thorns grew to the size of small daggers, as the plant wrapped itself around a nearby boulder, blanketing the rock in a spiny cover of thick, bulging shoots. Celebrimbor stood and watched, a small bit surprised on how efficient and complete those spells ended up being.[i] I haven't tried anything like that in a while...[/i] Shaking his head to rid it of the tingling sensation that usually came with the life-draining spells, he turned back to Annatar. "That particular spell is the most advanced one I have learned, as I would imagine that you are probably already aware of the typical 'disease and infection' sort of things. This one takes a bit of energy, more and more depending on the size of the... um, target." He stuttered, thinking that his words seemed a bit harsh, the way he was saying them. "I myself have only just tapped into the sources of this energy, and indeed, there is still a long, long way to go before I would even be close to mastering it." He tapped his claws nervously. There was still a portion of him that hated being of plague. The idea of using those sort of spells on another dragon terrified him. Sneaking a glance over at the curled remains of the first bush only solidified his fears. Of course, he would never speak of that fear, it was just a thing sitting at the far back of his mind, another horrible thought that reminded him of [i]potential[/i]. A word that could mean many things, and a good deal of which Celebrimbor was quite content of never understanding. ((Wow, that was long. And weird. But mostly long. Also, hopefully it wasn't hinting at too much violence or anything ))

@ForestGuardian {{OHMYGOD Forest [s]ohmygod ohmygod[/s], Celebrimbor's been holding his true power out on us!!! I had honestly never even considered Plague magic that way, valuing endurance and survival, and I absolutely adored how you wrote his abilities! Prepare for Mairon's head to turn in a whiplash-inducing manner. . . and never let go of this idea of enhancing life, even with all its costs. . . ermehgerd. . . }} [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=12717875] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/127179/12717875_350.png[/img] [/url] Mairon took the map from Celebrimbor with a small internal sigh as the two dragons stopped walking and the Wildclaw prepared for what Mairon expected would be a brief, boring demonstration. [i]After all, what true battle potential could possibly come of just making others sick?[/i] And then Celebrimbor actually began. The first thing Mairon noticed was the other smith's hands, which took on an eerie glow that started as an odd red light but quickly enveloped the limbs so that Celebrimbor's hands appeared skeletal - but with the actual bones, not just thinness - bared right through the skin. Entranced by this vision, Mairon heard Celebrimbor's earth-shattering explanation of what Plague magicks really were as if from far away. "It can bring death, yes, but the qualities the Plaguebringer most values are the ones of survival and endurance. With proper training and knowledge, one could learn the magicks and charms necessary to extend their life, although that sort of advancement takes a challenging amount of strength and skill. If it is used incorrectly, it could invoke a most terrible state of being. You would achieve an extended life, yes, but your own magicks would eat away at your body and soul, until when death finally comes, you embrace it with open arms, as the only escape from the pain and torture that has become life itself. Of course, I myself do not desire that sort of extension of life, not yet anyway. The magicks used in battle are quite different, designed to weaken your opponents until their own bodies cannot support them. In fact, there are some who say that Plague magicks to not directly kill their enemies, but rather make it so their lives end on their own accord." Then, as nonchalantly as if he hadn't just upended Mairon's entire understanding of an elemental discipline [i]perhaps even magick itself[/i] in mere moments, Celebrimbor flung the red light out into a nearby shrub, which shriveled to a husk in mere seconds. Then, with a second and equally easy gesture, Celebrimbor pulled the red light away - and Mairon was riveted to see it joined, doubled, by a pulsing white light that [i]by the gods, must be the blasted life force of the shrub![/i] Celebrimbor continued speaking, something about knowing the limits of life and death and which ones a sorcerer could attempt, but Mairon paid that part no mind - limits were for the blind, and he was just beginning to realize that this smith might not be as blind as he had initially thought. He watched with rapt attention as Celebrimbor sent the entwined red-and-white light into a second shrub, which grew to several times its size and thorniness in seconds, and he turned to look at the smith in disbelief [i]hopefully not too obvious[/I] as the Wildclaw turned to him, smiling almost nervously, as if unaware [i]or even afraid[/i]of the utter magnitude of what he had just done. . . "That particular spell is the most advanced one I have learned, as I would imagine that you are probably already aware of the typical 'disease and infection' sort of things. This one takes a bit of energy, more and more depending on the size of the... um, target. I myself have only just tapped into the sources of this energy, and indeed, there is still a long, long way to go before I would even be close to mastering it." The Wildclaw tapped his claws together in a nervous tic, and Mairon wondered distantly whether Celebrimbor was expecting some kind of disapproval or censure. No. No, no, a thousand times no - he would hear no censure from Mairon, so long as he eventually shared these secrets! How was Mairon ever to obtain them? For his mind was already whirring, calculating how he might be able to use these magicks - [i]imagine extending a life in such a way that its owner was beholden to you for that boon![/i] - along with the current project. . . "Celebrimbor." The first time it came out too quietly, and Mairon stopped, went back again, raised his voice. He couldn't seem too impressed or unsure, otherwise he worried that he might lose his tenuous grip on the Wildclaw. "Celebrimbor, most precious of friends, that was among the most skilled displays of beginner's Plague magicks I have ever witnessed." It was actually the only one, beginner or advanced, he'd ever witnessed - most of his enemies were brawlers or Arcane or Light mages, whose abilities paled in comparison to this - but he couldn't let himself appear untutored by admitting that. "I pray you have never been censured for the basic state of your abilities, for you do show great promise!" Maybe if he insinuated that he had seen better, more powerful, Celebrimbor would never think to turn these abilities on him? Still clutching the map, which he had almost forgotten in the astonishment of seeing far more and far better magicks than he had expected, Mairon then turned his attention to the second shrub Celebrimbor had spelled. "And in your experience of your spell's strength, will this remain verdant forever? Have you bound the other's life force here permanently?" Gods, he could only I magine what he might accomplish with a power like that. . .

@RaisingCain ((Aaaaaaah, thank you! :D it was fun to write! [s]And Celebrimbor is being a ninja-cinnamon-roll[/s] I've actually never really done a whole lot with plague stuff before, since I don't have a whole lot of plague dergs, and a majority of my lair is nature, so this is gonna be a lot of fun!)) [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=19966916] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/199670/19966916_350.png[/img] [/url] He had done his job well enough, it would seem. Looking at Annatar, and the thinly masked disbelief that seemed frozen onto his features (excluding the eyes, which were hidden, of course) Celebrimbor couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride at his own abilities. Something which he could easily say that he didn't feel often, being a dragon who would much rather have been born with a different elemental affinity. "Celebrimbor." The spiral spoke at last, in a quiet voice just above a murmur, before stopping and starting over again. "Celebrimbor, most precious of friends, that was among the most skilled displays of beginner's Plague magicks I have ever witnessed. I pray you have never been censured for the basic state of your abilities, for you do show great promise! And in your experience of your spell's strength, will this remain verdant forever? Have you bound the other's life force here permanently?" The last part came with a gesture towards the swollen shrub, which still gave a faint rustle of movement as its energy became sobered. "Ah, well... not exactly." Celebrimbor spoke as he turned from the bush back to Annatar. "I could draw back the energy again, if I needed to, but it would be more difficult and require more energy than the first time. Life energy is hardly ever given willingly, and in the rare case that it is it would have to be from a creature desiring death. But even then, it becomes more difficult the more the particular spell his used. Each time, the creature becomes more familiar with the feeling, and slowly learns to resist." He paused, thinking if he had forgotten anything. "Another thing worth mentioning, if you are interested in this sort of magic, is that not all life energies are equal. The energy of the shrub is devoted to the upkeep of that particular organism: drawing water from soil and absorbing sunlight. It could only be transferred to another plant, something whose energy would be needed for similar purposes. It would not be possible, say, to revive a dying familiar with the life energy taken from a plant, you would have to find another, more similar source." He thought, finishing another rambling speech, that he had just about covered the basics of that spell, and Annatar had seemed quite interested. Perhaps it was surprising to see, for a non-plague dragon, the diversity of that particular element. Dipping his head in respect, he continued. "And once again, many thanks for your compliments and kind words! I am afraid that there has been some disapproval by a few clanmates; it is not entirely easy being a plague dragon in a clan consisted primarily of those under the Gladekeeper's guidance. Most dragons of nature alignment do not believe in altering the course of death in the manners that I was taught to." Now, there was something that was far too true. Sure, most of his clan had welcomed him with open arms, plenty had grown to become close friends, in fact. But there was always that select few that turned the other way when he spoke of their rival deity in reverence, or whose faces paled when he practiced his own type of magicks. The two healer's apprentices, Lothlorien and Rohirrim, came to mind. Lothlorien in particular would give a horrified squeak when she saw him change a blooming plant to a withered husk. The healer herself didn't care much, and often the little green fae would come to him for aid, often giving him a few shoots of some herb and saying "[i]Could you help me with these, dear? They're better when they're wilted.[/i]" But the sort of appreciation that Annatar had shown just then was the kind that he had only ever received from his fellow plague-descended clanmates. Perhaps, if he was really going to teach him fire magicks, he could help the spiral learn a bit of plague spells... a fair exchange, after all. (([s]Didja see?? Didja see who I mentioned?? :D *screams*[/s] ))

@ForestGuardian {{ninja-cinnamon-roll Celebrimbor for the win! Mairon's just been racking his brain with how to counter[s] and one-up[/s] that astonishing display of power, so he's going to a bit over the top here. . . [s]and wait wait, wasn't that Syndarys? her dry 'dear' is unmistakable![/s]}} [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=12717875] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/127179/12717875_350.png[/img][/url] Although Celebrimbor warned that the life force was not universally transferable - and that the source and recipient would need to be of similar kindreds - Mairon could still see so many uses for this unlooked-for Plague magick, not least of which included the armor or weapon or jewelry that he would eventually forge as a gift for this sweet creature. He was still considering how best to [s]snatch[/s] apply this new lore when Celebrimbor continued. "And once again, many thanks for your compliments and kind words!" The Wildclaw's continued respect and gratitude were almost addictive. "I am afraid that there has been some disapproval by a few clanmates; it is not entirely easy being a plague dragon in a clan consisting primarily of those under the Gladekeeper's guidance. Most dragons of nature alignment do not believe in altering the course of death in the manners that I was taught to." Celebrimbor seemed saddened, almost lost in reflection by the time he finished this little speech, and as much as it angered Mairon to see that some memory had upset his precious new friend, he was also relieved by how much easier this would make his job. . . [i]Come with me[/i], whispered in a deep, tantalizing icy voice, had been the start of Mairon's own subornment by Melkor so many years ago, followed by a dazzling display of what Ice and Fire could do combined. . . He had mimicked the first part of that process, at least, here with Celebrimbor; another [i]come with me[/i], sweetened with gold and fire and promises of knowledge - - - All gifts that for once, Mairon actually intended to give as promised, and where better to start than here, with a brief reciprocation? "I suppose it is only fair, my dear, that in turn you should see a glimpse of what you will be learning," Mairon said, as nonchalantly as he could manage in his mounting anticipation. With a quick flutter of two pairs of wings and a flex of his sinuous back and clawed hands - the right passing the tattered map to a hindfoot as the Spiral sat up - Mairon began to speak in measured tones, as if declaiming an epic. He would give Celebrimbor a show that the Wildclaw smith would never forget. . . "Fire, my precious, is often considered a force of destruction, and as I am sure you know from even limited forge experience, this is rightly so." Cupping his hands with a whisper to the air, Mairon coaxed a tiny flame to his clawtips: the wisp of fire seemed to emerge from one of the circuitous gold markings that covered the Spiral's entire body. "Left alone and unchecked, fire will run rampant, its growth limited only to the number of its victims and its rapacity unsatisfied even then." In the blink of en eye with another Word of power, the flame exploded to several times it original size, blasting scorching air all around. Mairon reigned the power away from Celebrimbor, so that the Wildclaw would be surrounded by fire but not burned. He didn't bother with the same precaution for himself, though: his blindfold burned away, dramatically revealing luminous golden slit-pupiled eyes, and if Celebrimbor were watching closely enough, he might even see the gold jewelry about Mairon's head melting into the shape of a third eye. . . "Unchecked, though, is when fire has the most potential - or unchecked, that is, save by those who know its power!" Mairon raised his voice nearly to a shout in order to be heard over the inferno, grown and still growing, that he now held trapped in his shaking claws. His golden eyes gleamed - this unsettling characteristic was one reason he normally kept them covered. "It will burn away the dross, the impure, the unworthy, and leave a blank slate in its wake for those strong enough to seek order in the ashes!" With a wild chortle, Mairon brought the flames right to his chest as though he would embrace them, but then suddenly, flung them away. Due to the size of what was now a fireball, the dry undergrowth all around the two dragons caught quickly and burned even more quickly - within a few moments they stood in the midst of an inferno whose size made it difficult even for Mairon to keep the heat from touching Celebrimbor. With a languid gesture, though, the flames shrunk to half, and then a quarter of this size, so that he and the Wildclaw were simply surrounded by a tame ring of them. "But that," Mairon continued in his normal volume, as calmly as if nothing had happened, "is merely the showier side of Fire. Its more overlooked potentials are far, eh, subtler." He conjured another small flame in the same way as the first, and directed it to leave his hand and brush along Celebrimbor's cheek. Forward, perhaps, but playing with fire always had that effect on Mairon. . . "Aside from its potential as a cleanser, a purifier, Fire is also a healing force, a power for creation." The flame dancing along the side of Celebrimbor's face suddenly removed and descended into the melted remains of gold framing and dripping down Mairon's. He let Celebrimbor see how the flames, along with invisible currents, remolded the delicate beads of gold until the circlet was reassembled, and Mairon wasn't even burned. "It works with Air - not the puffy buffoonery of Wind, but Air, the true element of that sphere - to shape and meld metal, the most recalcitrant material, but it can also do so much more. With fire, you can draw away fever; reinforce flesh to withstand the trials of weather; perhaps, someday, we will even find out what Fire can show us about the Flame Imperishable, the life of the world itself." A third flame he conjured, and sent this one to simply hover in front of Celebrimbor. This third was different from its brethren before it, whispering indeciperhably and cool enough for non-Fire hands to cup, if only they would reach out and take it. "But you have seen some of this potential already - yes, my precious? Otherwise why would you have been sent to me. . . Think of what we could do with your potential and mine, combined!" The map in his clawed hindfoot had been completely forgotten, so even Mairon himself was slightly surprised to see the ash, slipping right between his claws and drifting away to the scorched ground. . . {{whoo, that came out way more intense and over the top than I was expecting - sorry . . Mai, you need to take a chill pill, and stop using the word "potential" on purpose if you saw that it made Celebrimbor antsy last time :P }}

@RaisingCain ((Whoooaaaa :O That's so cool! Love the descriptions of that fire you did there! Also the 'my precious' thing had me fangirling to myself for a moment or two. [s]And yeah, that was Syndarys! :D[/s])) [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=19966916] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/199670/19966916_350.png[/img] [/url] Annatar had seemed to understand what Celebrimbor had said regarding the disapproval of clanmates, at least, it seemed to the wildclaw that some emotion was going through his mind, and the corners of his mouth twitched a bit, though the spiral never said anything about the matter, instead turning to a much, [i]much[/i] more favorable topic. "I suppose it is only fair, my dear, that in turn you should see a glimpse of what you will be learning," Oh, yes! The little thrill at the promise of Celebrimbor's desired knowledge crawled up his spine again, and for once, all the whispering voices in the wildclaw's head were silent, as all attention focused on Annatar. "Fire, my precious, is often considered a force of destruction, and as I am sure you know from even limited forge experience, this is rightly so." Here the spiral summoned a small flame in between cupped hands. Celebrimbor couldn't help but think back to training Morwen and Freyja, the latter of which nearly burned down a den and a half trying to work a forge. He watched again, as Annatar continued his speech. "Left alone and unchecked, fire will run rampant, its growth limited only to the number of its victims and its rapacity unsatisfied even then." Quite suddenly, the air around the two dragons seemed to explode in a sudden burst of heat and flame. Celebrimbor took a quick step back in surprise, but it appeared as if Annatar's magicks were directed not to harm him: the flames flickered close enough to cast a baking heat on his skin, but none came close enough to cause any pain. Squinting his eyes against the heat and smoke, he could barely make out the figure of the gleaming spiral, standing in the midst of the inferno, but not appearing hurt. The blindfold that had covered his eyes before had burned away, revealing the two gleaming golden eyes that had been hidden away that whole time. The golden circlet that had rested on his head had melted away, the liquid metal framing the bright eyes as if they were gems on a circlet of their own, all the while creating an eerie shape that looked like... another eye? Celebrimbor hadn't realized that he wasn't breathing at all, and took a deep breath of hot air, hoping that his jaw hadn't dropped too much. There were no words to express the utter staggerment that he felt at the display. He could barely hear Annatar's voice over the whistling of smoky air through his ears, even though the spiral seemed to be shouting. "Unchecked, though, is when fire has the most potential - or unchecked, that is, save by those who know its power! It will burn away the dross, the impure, the unworthy, and leave a blank slate in its wake for those strong enough to seek order in the ashes!" With a laugh, the spiral recalled the blaze to another ball of glowing energy, before flinging it out again, catching the surrounding shrubbery on fire and creating another brief inferno before dwindling down again to a few flickers of fire, and an ashen ground covered in curled smoke wisps, which gave the air a strong-smelling tang. Celebrimbor opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. His mind was completely blank. [i]And anyway, it doesn't look like he's quite finished yet.[/i] "But that," Annatar said, strangely calm, [i]especially after what just happened! [/i]"is merely the showier side of Fire. Its more overlooked potentials are far, eh, subtler." A flame flicked off his hand again, brushing the side of the wildclaw's face gently before floating back and [i]repairing [/i]the circlet that had just melted off before as he continued. "Aside from its potential as a cleanser, a purifier, Fire is also a healing force, a power for creation. It works with Air - not the puffy buffoonery of Wind, but Air, the true element of that sphere - to shape and meld metal, the most recalcitrant material, but it can also do so much more. With fire, you can draw away fever; reinforce flesh to withstand the trials of weather; perhaps, someday, we will even find out what Fire can show us about the Flame Imperishable, the life of the world itself." One last flame flickered out to the wildclaw, but this one didn't radiate the same waves of dry heat as the others did. It seemed... cooler, and halted just in front of Celebrimbor's hands. He could swear that by some trick, he could hear faint murmurs coming from it, whose words he could never catch in his mind. [i]Am I supposed to touch it?[/i] He thought, slowly reaching out to run a finger along the edge of the flame. It didn't appear to harm him, so he slowly curled the rest of his hand along the base, drawing it closer and cupping both hands together as it flickered, resting in his palm similar to the way Annatar's first magic show had started. (Although he couldn't help but notice that it didn't explode with the same power, probably for the best, given his limited knowledge of such things.) "But you have seen some of this potential already - yes, my precious? Otherwise why would you have been sent to me. . . Think of what we could do with your potential and mine, combined!" True, true... especially Annatar's earlier statements of the Flame Imperishable. Both their magicks combined could do great things, both regarding creation and destruction. Although, 'potential' regarding fire still seemed more... normal, than 'potential' of plague. [i]Although, in the end, I suppose that comes down to the user...[/i] Finally, he felt as if his voice had returned to him, and after a cough to clear the smoke from his lungs, he spoke, eyes flicking between the gleaming spiral and the flame cupped in his fingers. "I can truly say... that I have never seen such a demonstration of magic quite so powerful in my life..." And it was true, especially in the muted atmosphere of clan life. There, magic was only really used for battles against beastclan, or small, ordinary things like healing or lighting a small fire and then extinguishing it. There were no impressive shows, unless you counted the ones of young dragons hoping to outdo one another, but those were hardly worth anyone's time and usually ended up with a foolish someone sitting in the healer's den, getting a harsh scolding from Syndarys. [i]Nothing like this, nothing that could ever compare to this![/i] He gave a small laugh. "I have no words to describe that, you can probably tell. It interests me greatly, to think of the possibilities of combined powers..." [i]For better or for worse?[/i] "...and I feel obliged, since you have agreed to aid me in my quest for such a knowledge that you have clearly mastered, to offer you the same, since you have expressed interests in plague magicks. All the while, I am more than eager to see where these paths take us!" Chance had favored him, it would seem, by leading him to such a mage who was willing to teach him this sort of magic... possibilities he had merely even considered. His old clan life seemed farther away now, all his thoughts lay on the journey ahead, for all its wonders that were spinning wildly in Celebrimbor's mind. ((Celebrimbor's definitely liking what he's seeing here XD))