Dominus Draco Di

[Filter: Private, in Kilian]

The longer we're together, the more difficult it is going to be when she leaves. We don't agree on some rather basic things, of course. It's never stopped us from working together toward the same goal. And yet, she'll have to leave if we secure this artifact. There is no other way for her to get it to Kilia, safely out of this part of the world.

An artifact so powerful that people countries away have dreams about its destructive capabilities...

It's been clear for days now that I would never be able to study it, even if it weren't going with her. If she can't decipher certain elements of it then what hope do I have? It would have to lean more toward her area of study.

It used to be a clear path. It still is a clear path. I simply wish it wasn't so transparent. She'll go her own way, and I'll go back to my own life. Simple...

[Kilian]

I am alive.

No, that is not my consolation. I've been alive but captured for ages now. I am free. Something much better than merely being alive.

I cannot, however, find Erin.

[Filter: Private]

This is what I didn't want. The storm could have wavered, and left us alone. We could have been left with a perfect season for travel. Instead, we're ... perhaps we're not as badly off as we could be, but these storms are not known for their safety. We'll need secure shelter, and time to make for it. And luck.

[Filter: Erin, in Kilian]

It appears the mediums that the girl consulted were right. The horizon looks very disturbing. Do you remember that cave we passed by this morning? As much as I hate to waste time gained, we might be forced to turn back toward it.

[Filter: Erin, in Kilian]

From the direction we've been travelling, and with the knowledge that it is a good distance in this direction, I've determined that we're likely going to find it closer to the coast than I would have liked. I'm not worried yet, as there's every possibility we're going to avoid the hard storms altogether. Still, we're more likely to encounter one head-on, as it were.

[Filter: Private, in Old Megami]

There are some pieces of information that can't be ignored. Someone down the chain has taken the bait from this man's report... Well, it's good that they're still looking. I do expect a messy end to come of this one.

b>[Filter: Erin, in Kilian]

You asked me about the moons some time ago. Ever since, whenever I look up to see them, I think about how they could possibly relate to anything magical. It seemed strange to me to think about because they were so far away.

I believe I have the beginnings of an answer for you, and I am kicking myself for not having thought of it earlier.

One of the things I have successfully deconstructed when it comes to the tomes I've been able to fiddle around with is location. This might be a little easier due to the kind of magic I use: Thunder magic is heavily reliant on the location parts of its spell. It's very easy to tell where they differ from the rest of the text because of their complexities. Fire and wind only truly require source locations, usually centered around the location of the caster. You have to be very specific with thunder magic, or its going to fry you and everything around you in an instant.

I'm not sure of the name you would give it in Kilia, but the near legendary tome Tempest was instrumental in allowing me to find the sections required for ... unorthodox spell pathing. Despite everything, you still need to see where the magic will come from. You don't quite need to see where it will go, but it makes combat magic worthless if you can't. Most tomes simplify this basic need by specifying where the source will be, and it's always close to the caster. Tempest is the only Thunder tome I know of that forces you to do the complex sighting of your source, and pathing it manually to the target. The bonus is that you can cast from anywhere you can see.

What is interesting to me is that the only reason you have to see something is because the spell is designed to write your position in the spell, and the position of your source. The tome has no idea where you are in the world until you tell it, and it only knows you want to change something -- it doesn't know the specifics until you're casting.

The moons are a giant focus point. When the moons are aligned, anyone in the world who knows the math can tell you exactly where you are in Eire. You wouldn't need to see something to cast a spell at it. You would need an amount of magical power that I can't even comprehend to send the spell to its destination, but you wouldn't have to see it.

This theory is useless to me; I have no way to test it at all. It has no applications that I could ever put into use, even if I had four hundred years to work on a spell that could use it. But I thought you might find it interesting.

[Filter: Erin, in Kilian]

It seems strange to me that we've managed to go this long without encountering sure signs of foot traffic. Or at least foot traffic that would lead us to where it is. There are definitely signs that things live here. Though unfortunately, too few of the tracks are human. And those that are seem to vaporise within a few steps. There are simply too many roots, in my opinion.

I'm not going to say it's time to exhaust all of our options, but we might want to do something before our first encounter here is with a patrol.

[Filter: Private, in Kilian]

I might as well adopt this as my new language. It's not as if I have been speaking or writing anything else for weeks now. It's simply easier to use it exclusively when we're alone out here. It's strange, he said I'd never use it outside of our chats on magic when he taught it to me. Here I am, carrying on an illicit affair with a Kilian woman because I was the best person available to be her guide.

It's been a long time since I've reflected on the power of coincidence in my life. It certainly has brought me a long way from being an ignorant shoemaker's son.

[Filter: Erin, in Kilian]

I would apologize for not having more to offer if I thought there was a reason. Neither of us are in a position to properly do anything about this holiday. To be honest, I've not celebrated it for some time. Though you knew that already, I suppose.

[Filter: Private]

She is right, of course. It would have been better if they'd hidden it in the southern jungles. It would make it harder to find, but harder to guard. We're more exposed out here, and especially going into winter.

Pah.

[Filter: Oscar, in Kilian]

How are things improving with your situation?