Nurtured to Hatred

[*Bloodlines]

Pavius clasped his hands behind his back and took another moment to survey the damage the drow had done to his grounds. His eyes, now full of hunger, returned to Vierkiira and a wry smile stretched across his face.

“I doubt you have another one of those spells in you, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t come prepared,” he said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered one of your kind.”

He stepped past the drow, or rather, through her. Another illusion. The wizard moved over to the hole she had created in the force wall, its seared edges shimmering and crackling with energy. “Should have known better than to get involved with fey.” He turned to face her. “Very well. I’ll meet with this employer of yours. As for my wards, you’ll understand if I prefer to keep their structuring up to me.”

“But first,” he continued, “I’ll need a few things from you. Since you were so kind as to ruin several of my golems, I’ll need some materials. Cold iron, in particular. Wonderful metal when dealing with the fey. Bring a full cart of its ingots and give me time to repair my grounds. Then you may bring your employer to treat with me.”

[*Technical_Intervention]

Naturally, when facing still potentially hostile individual, it was unwise to confirm or deny ones own capabilities in full. She had given a demonstration of what she can do, and had nothing more to prove. And there never was really incentives to attempt to appear weaker. To that end, her reply to the first statement was merely to uncover a tobacco, place it between her lips and light it up with a minor cantrip. The silence would have to suffice for the wizard on that regard. "Indeed? We don't really like it up here usually. So it'd sound like you're particularly unlucky."

She had already known it was an illusion so she did not appear the least bit surprised. Infact she didn't even really bother to turn when he moved through, even still kept her guard up incase something appeared fishy. It was infact a logical response. No mage worth their name under attack would leave their warded fortification, to meet with the hostile element just because they claimed to wish to talk. When you think of it from that point of view: Of course it was an illusion. "I shall inform my employer of the impending meeting."

Of course cold iron would be a major issue to her employer. Fey found cold iron particularly offensive. Those who used cold iron against fey often took it particularly personally. It was not unlike searing hot, or venomous substances for mortals. If you had a seat that melted your skin on touch, you'd not find its owner pleasing or trustworthy were they to attempt to provide hospitality. In this case it seemed like Pavius was inclined to create cold iron golems. Or other kind of cold iron deterrence. But she suspected that he'd lash out if she pointed it out. Besides, it was irrelevant waste of resources... "Cold iron isn't very useful for your longterm needs." she started, pausing to smoke her tobacco before continuing "I'm not fey. And as you already correctly discerned, they'd send someone like I to do their job. In such a case you'd be wasting your safety measures to material which wouldn't stand to do much more than really aggravate the unprecent fey, in charge of such a skirmish, more. Their agent would remain unscathed." waved it off dismissively before continuing.

"Even if they were to fight fey, all you'd require is enough material for their weapons. Fey aren't exactly known for fist fighting now are they? But even then you'd find far more use of denser materials, or broader enchantments. If I were to create defensive golems, I'd also not create them against such a limited scope... however if such is your price..."  she trailed out, and instead left the choice for the man after having made her manipulative argument. Any further might stretch it or arouse further suspicion. Also attempted to get an idea whether this was a trap for her employer.

[*Bloodlines]

Pavius wasn't looking at the drow, as though something about the force wall was more important than looking the drow right in the eye. He didn't answer her right away and instead occupied the silence by rubbing his hands together. When he finally spoke, his tone was a little softer, less confident. It was no wonder mortals, especially humans like him, sought the power of outsiders, sought to make pacts with them. Power was intoxicating. So power was given, saving him the years needed to earn it himself. Yet guile and cunning could not be given through a pact. Only experience could, and this wizard, despite his power, was green to the concept.

"What has your employer promised you?" he said. "You don't sound as though you've made a pact with them, so I imagine your loyalties are somewhat flexible. I've known your kind to be opportunistic, so how about this: you tell me what she's promised you and I can see to it that the one I am pacted with gives you that and more in return. The fey I have made a bargain with won't want to give me up to another, so I am sure she'll find an accommodation for you."

[*Technical_Intervention]

That earned a wry little smirk on her face as she looked at him "I am pleased to hear of that offer... I shall add it to my current employers final bill." making a short work of attempts to one up, as she made sure to point out that her payment wasn't locked in by any means, and that she expected to be compensated above such offers regardless. And subliminally hinting that whatever he was getting, could also be greater, even though she promised nothing. She could've made an argument about loyalty, but it might've done something to spark up another argument, so she had chosen against it. No point giving them ideas. "You are ambitious. And I foresee you getting far. If you make the right choices."  as far as a blunt object could get in anycase, in right hands he could be utilized.

Though she indeed was opportunistic, she was also loyal to original contracts, or words of agreement. To the letter. Anything else would be bad for business.

[*Bloodlines]

The wizard's eyebrows went up. "A drow that keeps her word. Now that is surprising."

He scratched at his chin, muttering something to himself, then returned his attention to Vierkiira. "Well then. At the very least, I'll meet with your employer."

[*Technical_Intervention]

The immediate business with the Winter Court had been concluded. And she had earned herself a favor to be collected at a later date. Favors could be worth so much more than mere gold, and a favor from a task of this magnitude, such could prove vital at a later date. She wasn't playing the short game after all, she'd live a very, very long time, as would the fey that had been her employer. However, for now that was out of the mind and it was time to more on to new affairs.

She had occupied her time with exceedingly close ties with Bree and Daelen. She'd have to tread carefully from here on. Letting people too close was always risky, they'd learn vulnerabilities that could be exploited. Ambiguity provided a great defense, when no one could be certain what actions she'd take, or the full extent of her capabilities, they would think twice before taking actions against her. And if she continued to give little to no motive to act against her own person, she'd continue reap the benefits of a long lifespan. Though threat of both of them was minimal considering her former interaction with either, she had to keep in mind that Bree was still one of her kin - a product of deceit and ambition.

And Daelen... was difficult to read. As of recent she had began to theorize that he may be simply a creature driven by strong emotions and feelings. Which made him particularly difficult for her to comprehend. She, herself, was following cold logic and pattern recognition to understand others, their feelings were difficult to calculate into solid definitions. An enigma he may have been, but she had time to develop the correct formula to complete comprehension of him. She had killed off her own emotions a long time ago, a necessity of her society, so she'd get no help from there.

Feelings. Such a troublesome thing people seemed to have developed a particular binding for in this city. And sometimes, even after so many years of "deadening" herself, she couldn't help it, although she made certain not to show it. They were a weakness, and she could not afford to have a weakness. What she required was a project to keep her focused... and she had an idea for it already, though it would require an enormous amount of planning, resources, energy and time. But if successful, it could become, over time, an enormous repository of knowledge to assist in future projects... for now she didn't commit too much into details of her to-become "library", but it'd have to perform much better than mere shelves of books. She had time to clarify such things, and such a project would keep her mind entertained.

[*Technical_Intervention]

She had spent a good amount of time to researching for her new project and had a more clear idea as to what she might want. At least tentatively, of course future consultations would be required. As good as she was - at least in her own mind - in comprehending the deep aspects of Arcane, its limitations, costs and most important of all, opportunities. She still could not do every aspect on her own, without spending possibly years or decades into research, and while she had time the more efficient approach for every practitioner is not to get insecure of their own lack of knowledge and simply either to start learning, or start dying. And she certainly had no intents to start dying. There was three aspects she wanted her new "archive" to fulfill.

Self-learning

Gathering knowledge into one place was not a difficult task at all. Anyone who owned a bookshelf knew as much. The limitation of the bookshelf however is that it neither expands its contents without your participation, nor does it make you learn of its contents. Much like herself required consults for this project, her goal was to create the ultimate consult to deem others less useful in the future. And this consult would have nothing else to do but keep learning more for her own interests.

Fast to find information from

The next limitation of the bookshelf analogy is that the more information you store into it, the more difficult it becomes to find relevant information, especially if spread in series of volumes that each have part of the information. Certainly remembering the most prominent parts has its own benefits, but in the end any mortal mind has its limits, as do libraries. She preferred an archive that did the work it was meant to, rather than her doing it for the archive.

Easy to study

Perhaps even more important than merely being fast to access information, is the ease to utilize said information. Having stacks of papers laid before you does not necessarily make the task any easier. Visual representation might become more important the further complications there were. To this end illusions may prove integral for the end result. And illusions were her specialty, so that aspect was perhaps the easiest side.

In the end, almost all of this pointed into single destination: An intellect was required to study on its own volition, to interpret what was essential, and to represent it in a manner that potentially simpler minds could comprehend it efficiently. And that there was both dangerous and difficult task. To handle such an ordeal she could either make a simulated intellect over true intellect. A simulated intellect would be slower and more specified task orientated and limited in what it could do - think akin to a golem, everything it does is limited by its creators specifications. And it has no capability to adapt to unforeseen situations. A true intellect however had the capacity to form ulterior motives, potentially becoming a danger to its owner. Yet it would have creative solutions at hand, especially for project such as this. Accumulating enormous amounts of knowledge could potentially make them the most dangerous thing out there... a tempting matter on its own, the most dangerous thing within her own control. Safe guards would be needed in such a case.

Regardless which choice she'd choose to proceed with, one thing was certain. It was going to be expensive. Creating intellect in either way was not simple to say the slightest. But there were alternatives to creating one. One was to trap either an entity or a soul in place of one and essentially compell/enslave them to do her bidding. However she was not entirely the most savvy when it came to enchantments. So such matters would be limited to either undead, shadow or planar binding orientated things. Or torture related, but that was neither efficient nor reliable, one tortured would simply say what she wished to hear too easily, to end the torment. And to house either a planar entity, shadow, an undead or the self-created intellect she'd require platform for it - a prison of sorts to keep them contained so they stayed where she wanted. Further study required for which of these was the most optimal choice. Alternatives still existed, instead of one entity, it could be several... which would increase efficiency, also the costs and complications.


Additional research targets for the how to attain knowledge:

Oneiromancy - She still had a favor to claim from her previous job, and while she did not expect to cash it in quite this soon, it would perhaps prove useful. Dreamscape was a completely unknown territory for her. Which could prove invaluable as a place to learn about the multiverse from far less confined manner as mere books would do. Of course how to get this out in a horribly malleable plane such as dreamscape, with thousands if not millions of visitors flashing in and out of this infinite realm would have challenges of its own. Only truly reliable method would either be to create hundreds, no, thousands of sensory spells to eye on the plane to get glimpses here and there on at least a couple at a time. Or to tie said sensors to sleeping places, for arguments sake an inn pre-prepared to have dreams be monitored. Ethical issues aside, then a problem would be having such a space, or permission from an owner of existing inn to participate into it.

Sensory Stones - The Society of Sensation housed their own learning mechanic, a very sophisticated if misused tool. They wasted their tool for getting a rush, as if repository of knowledge was decreased to being a mere drug for addicts. In correct use what they had however... it could be a remarkable tool. Wielding so much information in such a confined space, although the sensory stones themselves were heavily enchanted, the implications of rumors suggested the room that housed them was the actual magical source. Which spoke a lot about the scopes into which she was about to get into.


Initial resources to put aside that may be utilized in the project:

Of course it would be wise to start to gradually put aside what she might need for something like this. Enchanting supplies she luckily already had, but without a doubt much more would be required. And likely none of the cheap ones would do either. She suspected an enormous amount of Cesians, Beryls, White Topaz, Rutilars and Opals. Rainbow obsidians and amethysts would likely also become handy. No other than Cesians was truly bothersome. However she might be able to bypass the need of them if she simply went with a simulated intellect, or limit the amount of Cesians to contain a true intellect into having only limited self-consciousness.

Besides this materials would have to be selected carefully for the containment, and the room. Mindsilver might become integral, as it is relatively easy to stock up on, and already has strong resonance to matters of the mind. But she'd have to think on that more carefully after she had a clear idea which path she chose to follow through. If she had to build an entire chamber for this thing, or encompass entire building, she'd have to make exceptions for budget and aesthetic reasons. It is simply too large amount of single material.

Gold, nothing could truly replace the fluidity of large amounts of currency. This would most definitely run in hundreds of thousands, if not millions in final cost. Ideally she'd find means to cut the costs, but perfection could not be discounted.

Final element is energy. Without a doubt it would be exhausting amount of enchanting work, that would require great deal of rest inbetween to recover. But in anticipation of this, perhaps she could find a way to cheat a little. Start the project with a simpler project: creating energy containers to harbor magical energy so she could use them later. They too would cost, but who knows, perhaps they end up becoming useful in other projects later as well.