RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

Skylar Steelheart · **10-11-2013, 05:45 PM**

Hello from Gridania! I am Tirramei, the most beautiful princess in all the land! I am spoiled, rich, and hopelessly torn between two very handsome lalafell suitors! What ever shall I do?

Ahem.

I was in a play at the ampitheatre... the fun is still wearing off a little. The stage is empty now, but it's a cozy place to sit for awhile. I see the mysterious vegetable offerings are still appearing. There are an awful lot of pumpkins around here, some with silly faces carved into them. Who does that?

It's good be home again for a little while. Life in Limsa-Lominsa is fun and exciting, but sometimes it's a little too exciting. Gridania feels like a little haven, and I doubt I'll get into very much trouble here. Next time I'm going to bring Rahz with me. (He's never set foot in the Shroud!) We've been spending more time with each other lately, and he's been so sweet. â™¥ We took a fun trip to Costa del Sol together! I need to get him back for dunking me in the water...

[Image: rahztirrabeach2_zps1592e750.png]

The last time I was at Costa del Sol was with P'tajha, and I was so jealous that she had someone special to enjoy the beach with. I'm glad I won't have to feel that way again, now that Rahz and I are closer. Still, our trip was a little spoiled by an unexpected black mage. Why do black mages make such a habit of being trouble? Can Eorzea have more cheerful black mages, like Ziziwato? Please?

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to run into Lost River again. Maybe in the back of my mind, I thought that she wouldn't find me in this big wide world if I didn't have the mysterious linkpearl anymore. I've often wondered what would happen if our paths crossed again--would she be offended? Angry? Would there be a fight?--but it was none of those things. She looks different without her disguise--her skin tone is darker, and her eyes are different. The not-pretending Lost River doesn't have a Lominsian accent after all.

She says the aether about me has changed, thanks to that pearl I carried with me. She said it was an experiment and mentioned a Project, though she was vague and ominous about it. The pearl would attract those who sought the Project and the Void. None of it makes any sense to me, and right now I don't care. Right now I'm angry that she used me, angry enough to lash out at something. That deadpan look Lren gets sometimes when he wants to set something on fire, I think I understand a little better now.

I haven't told Lren yet. He would be the one to go to--he mentioned that his research on the Void was extensive. He's still recovering from his last encounter with shady people, though. I don't think he'd be able to confirm Lost River's claim; he met me only after I had that Twelve-cursed pearl.

In the end, Lost River left peacefully enough. Still, she mentioned some things that make me worry. She knew I'd kept the grimoire she gave me, somehow. (Or was she bluffing?) Maybe I should look at it more closely. I'm sure there are arcanist runes for tracking the presence of an item. She mentioned it in a strange way, saying it was a reminder of another time. She wanted me to keep it--which is a good reason to destroy it. Maybe I will. I haven't made up my mind yet. I'm sure if Lren finds out, he will do it for me. I'm sure many things spontaneously combust while he is around, and one of them might be Lost River, too.

One important thing came out of this whole ominous tangle: my decision to study thaumaturgy, black magic, and the things related to it. This ordeal happened because I'm ignorant of it all, and I'm afraid of it because I am ignorant. I wonder if I'll be the only person in the Arrzaneth Ossuary studying black magic with no intention of using it.

Ziziwato showed me around the Ossuary. An elezen named Koreaer offered to instruct me in the fundamentals, and though he admitted he wasn't a master of all things dark and gloomy just yet, he was a good teacher. I know now that thaumaturgy is centered around the destructive manifestations of fire, ice, and lightning, and the attunements of umbral and astral. We even left the city gates so he could demonstrate, and by watching him I could finally see the method in their madness, and the precarious balance they have to maintain.

...And despite all of it, I still can't bring myself to try it on my own.

A fundamental difference between conjury and thaumaturgy is how each derives the desired effect from aether. For conjury, one borrows from the world around them to manifest the spells. For thaumaturgy, one draws upon their own aether. I've never tried, or wanted to try, and was given every reason not to. It's a dangerous and harmful thing to do when healing. Thaumaturgy is different, but I can't wrap my head around it just yet.

A mysterious Keeper tagged along for Koreaer's lesson, and had some things of her own to contribute. She had a lot of scars. At first I thought she was being harsh for the sake of it, but in the end she brought up a point I hadn't thought about--if uncertainty and emotion cause me to hesitate at the wrong time, I could get hurt. The mindset of a black mage must be awfully cold.

She never did mention her name...

But now for a happy ending! And that is...

â™¥ â™¥ â™¥ I finally joined Vylbrand Academy! â™¥ â™¥ â™¥

I've met so many new people! Director Trala is a little stern, but a nice person. She has a beautiful singing voice! And she' so cute. There's Big Sister Haii Hai, and Claire, and Zanin, Blaise... I'll write about all of them once I get to know them a little better. Promise!

[Journal] Tirra Lirra, Pen, Paper, & Mirror [OOC Welcome]

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes