Base of the Pyramid - Shrilk Crossroads
This is the east side of the base of the mighty obsidian pyramid created by the Core computer. From this vantage point you can barely make out the glittering portal at the top. Beyond this clearing to the north and south lays a dense forest, to the east two rutted dirt roadways intersect, offering travel to the east, north, and south. There seems to be a well travelled path curving around the pyramid and leading off west, directly towards Lake Evarim. The air here is cold and sharp, often holding little whisps and flurries of snow, blowing primarily from the east.
All around, in every direction, are the beginnings of the great winter Festival - tents are being erected, firepits laid out, merchants and artisans starting to set up their areas. At any time there are dozens of gryphons at work here, and at times, even hundreds. Great flights of them arrive from all directions, though primarily the northwest and southwest, carrying great nets and baskets filled with supplies, food, water, and more. The ground is dusted in snow, though the busy activity in the area has trampled most of it away already. Three immense fire rings, left over from last year, have been cleared out and re-established... and many other smaller firepits are scattered about this huge flattened area - some of them revived from the previous year, some the product of hard labor to create new ones.
The festival grounds are loosely divided into three areas - this one, which is the great majority of the area, is devoted to merchants, vendors, and craftscreatures. To the east and north, closer to the great roadway, is where most of the intertainment and competitions take place. To the west, spreading around to the south of the pyramid and beyond, are the sleeping areas.
Ceylana glides in from the northwest, heading for the three huge firepits. After skreeing out so any below knows she is up there, she backwings to a graceful landing roughly in the center of the triangle formed by the display firepits. Currently, all three are empty and devoid of wood to start a fire from. They are just large stone rings with what look to be more stone lining the entire thing.
Y'lyandra wanders in from the sleeping area, a light blanket wrapped around her shoulders, protecting her from the mid-morning chill. She keeps looking over her shoulder as she approaches the firepits, until such time when she figures that if anyone was going to follow her, she would have seen them by now. With a sigh that's audible to anyone around her, she continues on her way, stopping briefly at one of the Centaur traders to select some fruit, which she munches happily as she strolls. A sharp skree from the sky only makes her start a *little*.. she's fast getting used to constantly looking skyward, with all the gryphons about.. and she watches the gryphon's landing, still marveling at the ease and beauty of it.
Ceylana pads over quickly to each pit, examining them it looks like, occasionally stepping in one to clear out any stray debris that has made it's way in, like leaves and dead branches. She does the same cleaning in roughly straight lines between each pit. She's getting ready for something, but for what, you're unsure of.
Y'lyandra engages in crowd-watching, the look on her face showing her obvious delight at being able to just.. take in.. the sights of the festival. After all, it's not often that she's been out of her home sphere, save for trips to the Core. And there, one can only see what other people do in a neutral environment to all, not in their home territory. So this is, if nothing else, an education. Her path takes her closer to the fire pits where someone appears to be cleaning. Is it the same gryphon she just saw land? Yes.. she thinks so.. With her foreleg unconsciously pawing at the ground, she watches, ever fascinated.
Ceylana settles down literally inside one of the pits, unslinging a slingbag from her back and setting it just outside the stone ring. She riffles it for a couple small pots and a few brushes shaped especialy for gryphon claws and begins painting something on the rocks while muttering under her breath. She's looking down at all this, so doesn't realize she has an audience yet.
Y'lyandra attention wanders for a few minutes, missing the gryphon's final preparations entirely. When she turns back toward the firepits, she has to blink.. the gryphon is.. painting? Yes, it appears so. Lan moves around the edge of the pit, cautiously skirting around the bag someone has put there, and tries to get a better view. Amazing!
Symbols and scratches go on with practiced precision in reds, yellows and oranges. Distractions are put aside as a centaur-shaped shadow crosses the design. Ceylana does not stop painting and muttering. The closer proximity of her bring her words closer. Sounds like she's...chanting? It takes a while, but eventually the pit is full of little glyphs, symbols and scratches close up. From a distance, it looks almost like someone painted a fire inside it. Interesteing. Ceylana has fully backed out of the pit so as to not step on the designs. She looks up finally to see who was standing so close. A Centaur? She inclines her head forward slowly. "Greetings. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Y'lyandra, just watching the work in progress, is a bit startled when the gryphon speaks to her, but she composes herself quickly. A quick shake of her head sends her braid flipping over her shoulder, and she smiles. "No.. no.. I was just watching you paint. It's exquisite!" Her enthusiasm is nothing if not genuine, and she moves partway around the circle, looking at it from other angles. She takes a step back, loooks again, then stepping toward it again, looks up at the sky for a moment, then back to the gryphon at her side. "How did you learn to do that?"
Ceylana allows herself to take a little pride in the admiration of her work. She tries to recall exactly how long it took her to master this particular spell. "I would say about 15 years worth of practice and lots of paint." She adds almost embarrasingly, "And more than my fair share of feathers." Ceylana pads over to the sling pouch and starts packing away the pots and brushes. "Oh, and if I were you, I wouldn't touch it. It's finicky and needs time to set before tonight." With that cryptic phrase given, she picks up her bag in her beak and heads over to the second pit and sets it down and starts pulling out the same pots and brushes. Looks like she's going to start it again.
Y'lyandra has been bending herself down, and had a hand outstretched toward the rocks when the final message is given, and she pulls back, a bit guiltily. "Sorry.. sorry.." She looks confused, though, as to why touching a painting, which already appears to be mostly dry, at least from her vantage point, would cause problems. Seeing the gryphon wander over to the next pit, she follows a respectful distance behind, not wanting to get in her way, but curious as to the ritual, for that's what it appears to be, that is being performed. She's loathe to interrupt, however, and waits, trying not to hover, but not letting herself get pushed into the crowd.
Ceylana is about to start painting again, but halts herself, brush already reaching for the stone, wet with more paint. She looks up at the curious centauress and is at a bit of a loss here. She has gotten so used to doing her spells in private that an audience makes her feel...shy. No no, she reminds herself, must get used to this. She's Head mage now and will be watched constantly. Need to get used to this. She does ask however, "Curious as to what this is I'm doing?" That's it, be the teacher. Yes, we can do this.
Y'lyandra looks surprised, and nods her head slightly. "I don't mean to interrupt you, though.." She realizes, a bit belatedly, that she's probably *really* interrupting something important, but.. she did ask.. "I've never seen anyone do something like this.. it's.. not just for decoration, is it?"
Ceylana shakes her head, "No, it's not. It's a fire spell, big complicated one." She points at the finished pit, the one she's at and the untouched one. "All three of these are part of the same spell. I have to do the spell in parts, it's too draining otherwise." She looks down at the brush and realizes the paint is starting to dry on the bristles. She ooks up really quick. "Whatever you do, don't distract me, I can't stop once I start. Thanks."
Y'lyandra nods her head, and backs up a bit, leaving the gryphon to her business. She pauses a bit, then rifles through the satchel that's over her shoulder, and pulls out a large white pad and pencil. Determined to capture this, she begins sketching something. The occasional passerby who might possibly take an interest can easily see the form of a female gryphon taking shape, and a circle of stones is soon added. In a corner of the piece of paper, she begins working on another small sketch of the glyphs themselves, not worrying about getting the exact nature of them, but rather conveying their idea onto her piece of paper. She alternates between the two parts of the page, stopping to add a bit of detail to the gryphon here and there.
With steady precision and experience, the glyphs and designs take place yet again. If one were to study the patterns between the two, they would realize that they are different. More muttering under her breath as the colors seem to fly across the stone. Seemingly at random, she will paint one stone, skip to another, then finish the one in between. The randomness of a fire leaps about as the overall pattern is once again repeated in looks and design. Another painted fire as the first, but with subtle differences, for now two fires are ever alike.
Y'lyandra continues watching the artistry of the gryphon, her own hands not moving as much as she gets carried away by the sight of the movements of the paint on the stones. That someone with *talons* can have this much precision and control simply amazes her. She'll have to get a closer look at the brushes sometime, hopefully, she thinks to herself. Her eye for details catches some shift in the detail work being done, but even her trained glance can't see *what* exactly is different, just that something *is*. She'll have to ask later. For now, though, she just watches, in awe.
Again, it takes a while before this second painting is finished. Again, Ceylana now stands outside the stonr ring and heads to her sling bag to put the pots in it for carry to the third ring. Before moving on, she looks to see if her audience is still there. She sees the scetchpad and is curious, she hadn't noticed that there before. "Taking notes on gryphon magic, my dear?" She is somewhat amused by this and is in a friendly mood still today.
Y'lyandra looks a little confused, and glances at her sketchpad. "Notes on.. magic?" The thought hadn't occurred to her as to what it actually was *for*, but suddenly, something seems to click as a look of realization crosses her face. "Oh! No!" Lan hurridly shows the kindly gryphon the contents of the page she was working on; the rushed yet detailed sketch of her at work, and the general design of the first firepit. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize... I can destroy that part, if it's not allowed.."
Ceylana isn't sure how to answer that and takes a closer look at the drawings. Very accurate redering of most ofthe markings, but there are enough subtleties of color and shape that it doesn't lok dangerous. After thinking it through, "Well, it doesn't have enough power if someone were to recreate it from just the drawings, for there is also the chanting that goes with it to properly activate it. I think it is safe to leave in." As she reaches down for her bag, "It is a very nice drawing, thank you." She picks up her bag in her beak and heads for the third stone ring, not paying much attention if you follow or not. She needsto get this done while she can. She doesn't give the impression that she doesn't want the company, so it must be okay to follow.
Y'lyandra nods her head, and smiles her thanks, following behind at a respectful distance. She has questions she'd like to ask, but realizes that now is probably not the time to do so. She hopes to have an opportunity later, or anytime before she leaves the festival, really. But in the meantime, she studies the two circles, then sets to drawing a second image on her pad, this time not putting in details of the glyphs, but simply the general shape. Something about this design just screams to be used for something, but if it will be a problem.. well.. that won't work. Hm. She'll have to ask about that, as well.. She situates herself at the third firepit, and waits for the gryphon to begin her work.
Without bothering to stop and talk, Ceylana brings out her paintpots from the bag and dips her brushes in and begins the third and final circle in the spell. Chanting and painted marks flow quickly yet it still takes a long while before it is finally finished. Glyphs, scratches and marks...red yellow and orange. It flows together to complete the design. A third painted firepit. Odd, the air seems to carry the barest hint of warmth to it. Must be a breeze flowing past the fires over near the food merchants. Yeah, that's it.
Y'lyandra feels the warming breeze, and looks to the side, trying to follow the direction it came from. Odd that a cooking fire would carry its heat this far, though. But what else could it be? Flames from the paintings? Hardly. She scoffs at herself for a moment, then watches the third firepit and the gryphoness working in it. She looks to be finished with that painting, but.. she doesn't seem quite approachable yet..
Ceylana sits back from the final painting and is breathing a bit heavily. She couldn't have exhausted herself from just painting, can she? She catches her breath first before carefully closing the paintpots up, this time sealing them back shut with string through a hole in the lid. She takes the brushes and wraps them up in a small cloth that is well stained with paint. Seems she has done this, or something like it, before.
Lan watches the gryphon seal the pots and put away the brushes with the ease of someone who has done the same thing many times. The blanket that was around her shoulders has now fallen down her back, and sits, unminded, across her equine back. Hm. The air is *definately* getting warmer near here..
The air does get warmer, but stops after a few minutes, the cold winds prevailing as the fire magic soaks up the new heat. After finishing packing her supplies up, Ceylana sits back down, her breathing slowly returning to normal. She looks up at you and asks, "So, how long have you been an artist?"
Y'lyandra watches in fascination, then turns back toward the gryphon, a look of surprise on her face. "Oh.. I'm not an artist.. I mean.." She shrugs her shoulder slightly, shifting her weight to one side. "I draw in my spare time, but mostly just for my own enjoyment." She hm's softly, then bows her head slightly, figuring now would be as good as any for introductions, "My name is Y'lyandra Emrys," leaving out the "from Mythrayel", as to not state the obvious.
Ceylana inclines her head slowly again. "I am Ceylana Zenari from Windhaven aerie." She adds the where from, because it's an aerie, not a sphere. She does, however, leave out her position as head of the mages there. "If I might ask, if you are not an artist by trade, then what do you do between drawings, Y'lyandra?"
Y'lyandra smiles, and shakes her head slightly. "Please.. just Lan. Most folk find my name a mouthful. As for what I do.." She grins down at her sketchpad, then back up at you. "I'm an architect."
***Extenuatng circumstances forced the log to end here, but the day continues later on in another log.***