He looked at . I sighed and just nodded.
He opened the advisory file with the gno attached to it.
Wow, Fred, you et the most curious people. I thought she was a celebrity, but I had no idea...
Well, doesnt that sound ominous. I rolled my eyes and continued listening.
First of all, her online presence was scrubbed. I an, professionally. Soone went in and cleaned up any hint of her online. Theres nothing about her on any form of social dia or news, and thats after I really went looking for her after I found out who she was.
My brow furrowed.
This isnt a recent thing. Soone has been keeping her out of the spotlight and her existence hidden basically since she was born.
She wasnt born in Arica, but in France. The Sylunar over there were actually the most helpful in identifying her, as the silver eyes were pretty distinctive. I actually got in touch with the priestess who Moonblessed her and Assayed her for the goddess and her mother.
The gnos high voice paused a bit reluctantly, and continued, She was assessed as having no magical ability whatsoever in the tests of the Sylunar. According to the Moonsister, her mother was livid at the news, and actually stord out of the temple without her.
A halvyr without magic is a very rare thing indeed, and would usually indicate so sort of major ntal deficiencies in all categories. The girl was eventually sent to live with a hired maid, and had virtually no contact with her family.
From what I can determine of her life from her family records, she had a pretty nasty childhood. No magic for a halvyr made her vulnerable in the eyes of people who resent the Powered, and she suffered for it. All her school scores indicated she was sharp and clever, certainly didnt have any brain damage or illness, but she couldnt generate the slightest Cantrip.
She started falling in with a bad crowd, and eventually ran away from her foster ho, and must have co to the States by so alternate thod.
She has so sort of trust fund providing for her once she turned sixteen, so she dropped out of school, and has been living out of a condo in Baltimore for the past year or so. What exactly shes been doing, I dont know.
My lips twitched. This girl had AMAZING magical talent... it just destroyed itself. Two powerful Bloodlines, canceling one another out...
The files are all the docuntation I could find and dig up. Heres the original birth record from Le Stellae Da.
A file opened up and displayed a copy of a birth certificate.
Elrii Morningdark, Halvyri.
No na for the father.
Mother, Jalaez Morningfire, Halvyri.
Fred blinked in recognition. I just lifted an eyebrow.
Everything I can tell is that this girl has been written out of the family entirely. Theres no record of her ever eting her mother or sisters. I can imagine how cruel that would be once she found out whose family she was part of.
It looks like she did finally get so magic after all, and isnt too bitter about it. I hope all the best for her. She certainly earned a shot at things.
His voice cut off, leaving the files floating there in the holo.
Why do I have the feeling that the mothers na is very important? I asked, feeling another headache coming on.
He sent the file off to the side, clicked around on the keypad, and brought up another picture.
Well, he definitely got the search results fast. And with a lot of pictures, too.
It turned out that Jalaez Morningfire was an extrely famous halvyri sorceress with the Phoenix Bloodline, an internationally known socialite and beauty who, if her looks were any indication, was probably recognized by most every red-blooded male the world over.
Fred clicked on the Lexipedia article, and it washed into place, giving way to a publicity photo that complinted her very well: the fires dancing around the edge of her hair, golden eyes, perfect complexion, and seductive smile, along with marvelous figure and taste in expensive clothing and jewelry.
---
Relatives: Essander Highmoon, Elven, Father (deceased); Colleen Morningsun, Human, Mother (deceased); Sean Highsun, Halvyr, brother; Brigette Morningfla, Halvyri, Daughter; Sinead Morninglight, Halvyri, Daughter; Azaia Morningwind, Halvyri, Daughter
---
Well, that pretty much said it all, didnt it? She wasnt allowed to use the family na, for fear her no-magic self might be linked back to the family.
I am getting the distinct impression that this is a very famous magical family, I sighed.
THEY MIGHT BE THE MOST FAMOUS MAGICAL FAMILY IN THE WORLD. His hand hovered over the Vaccine. DO YOU WANT TO READ ABOUT EACH OF THEM?
I sighed. Just tell quickly for now...
ESSANDER WAS SYLUNES MOST FAMOUS MYSTIC THEURGE.
COLLEEN WAS THE MOST FAMOUS FIRE SORCERESS IN THE WORLD FOR HER BLOODLINE.
SEAN HIGHSUN IS THE MOST WELL-KNOWN CORONAL KNIGHT OF ARU IN THE WORLD.
JALAEZ HAS INHERITED HER MOTHERS FA AS A PHOENIX BLOOD SORCERESS, BUT SHES A DARLING OF THE NUAVANS, NOT SYLUNE.
HER DAUGHTER BRIGETTE IS A COMBAT SORCERESS WITH THE EUROPEAN LEAGUE OF CHAMPIONS.
SINEAD IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS MINSTRELS AND ILLUSIONISTS IN THE WORLD.
AZAIA ISNT SEEN MUCH, BUT SHES A DARLING OF THE SYLUNAR, AND SUPPOSEDLY A MYSTIC THEURGE AND WIZARD, EVERY BIT AS TALENTED AS HER GRANDFATHER.
I frowned as I read all that. I could find out more details, certainly. Why so famous? I dont an to be a downer, but beautiful spellcasters are practically one word once you can alter your features. Biosculpting is a thing, you know?
I WAS TOLD THEY ARE ALL NINE CASTERS.
My totally unimpressed expression must have thrown him a mont. UM, MOST HUMANS NEVER GET PAST SIX, WITH A RARE FEW REACHING SEVEN. ELVES REACH EIGHT. THE MORNINGSUN HEIRS ARE THE ONLY ONES KNOWN TO HAVE ALL REACHED NINE.
Oh. My completely underwheld expression made him smirk despite himself.
SO, HOW POWERFUL WAS YOUR PROGENITOR?
At the ti, a very, very Deep Fifteen.
Both his hands popped like rocks splitting as he abruptly clenched them hard, staring at . AND HUMAN?, he asked, the flas were clearly a few watts brighter than before.
Very much so.
He exhaled hard. SO, IT IS POSSIBLE...
Certainly is. I gave him an odd look. Youre a Four Pact Warlock. Youre already a Seven, its required. Didnt you know that? You shouldve stepped Into the Dance.
He shook his head. I TOOK HUMAN/2 AND APPLIED THE CASTER LEVEL BONUS TO WARLOCK.
Well, that was unusual, but certainly not wrong, since it was his only Caster limit...
Have you tried to advance to Seven? I asked calmly.
NO, he admitted, and I arched my eyebrow at him. I TEND TO OPERATE ALONE, SO I HAVE BEEN ROUNDING OUT MY FUNDANTALS. AH, GOING DEEP, AS YOU SAY.
Your road to Ten is wide open. Your Primary Class cant be lower than any of your other Class Levels, so having Warlock Casting at Seven ans you can take your Primary to Seven. As soon as you do, you can take Wrath Mastery to /4, and Warlock Mastery to the sa, putting you at Nine, and leading you right to that, whereupon you can take your /5s and make Ten with ease.
It should co as no surprise that Heaven wants you to get higher Level, Master Fred.
His hands crinkled again. YOU SOUND LIKE AN EXPERT IN SUCH THINGS.
Yes. And since he could... If you have the Karma, take your Human/3 Level. It dovetails right into your ability to heal yourself, so you should have your Health as utterly high as possible.
Stay at Six and get as Deep as you like, but you should have enough Karma ready at any and all tis to walk into Seven if you need it. Nothing is going to stop you. You are already there.
Again, that faint, harsh smile, so grim irony. INTERESTING BEING ADVISED BY AN OUTWORLDER HALF MY AGE.
I just snorted delicately back at him. I may not have power, or even all the mories I should, but experience is experience, regardless.
YOU SAID YOUR BLOODLINE HAS BEEN ASSIGNING YOUR KARMA FOR YOU. I nodded at that. WHAT DID IT GIVE YOU TODAY?
Staff Magus, I admitted readily.
STILL A ONE?, he asked curiously, and I nodded again. THEY HAVE A COURTYARD FOR WEAPONS PRACTICE. CO.
Having little else better to do, I followed him...
------
Clerics of the gods are not non-combatants, and were expected to be able to defend themselves and their parishioners with more than simply magic. While all the temples trained templars of one sort or another to defend themselves, and had faithful who would rush to help as well, the Clerics who dwelled there were expected to be able to pick up the favorite weapons of their deities and beat on things as needed. Magic only went so far, after all.
Of course, in a technology era, this tended to be happily supplented by firearms and bunches of alchemical Twilight alloy bullets that worked as both silver and cold iron.
While thematically the Harsites might have preferred warhamrs, they were not idiots, and so moonhamr axes predominated weapons training. As a point of differentiation, Harsite axes were bearded with a center spike, Aruan axes were bearded with beaked backings, and Sylunar axes were true crescents. Sylunar Casters tended to prefer staves that could unfold glaives or spears if they could afford them, and Aruans and Harsites enjoyed doing the sa with halberds, if they didnt care to use a shield.
I hadnt really had the chance to use this staff in a fight, and true to my estimations, my performance with it was awful. It hadnt been Boneshaped and balanced at all for fighting, so just going through katas was a pain... and I had absolutely average strength for a woman, no muscle mory, and none of the upper body physical conditioning necessary.
I sighed as the staff spun out of my hands for the fourth ti, clattered to the well-kept stones of the courtyard, and toed it back up to myself. Even that wasnt right to my hand, and I had to snatch at it.
THAT IS VERY INTERESTING TO WATCH, his flas noted from the side. YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO, IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS, AND YOU ARE INEPT AT DOING IT.
I had to laugh, despite myself. I can rember doing these things thousands of tis, for years and years... and technically, this is my first ti trying to do a set on my own. Im over-reaching myself. Hells, I didnt even have an Attack Bonus. If I wasnt naturally coordinated, Id look like a total idiot...
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