Bespelled
Legacy Name: Bespelled

DISCOVERY


It had been a grey and dismal day of travel across the plains and then into the forest he'd gone. Now it was getting late, and rain clouds grew heavy as evening drew closer. The wind had picked up and was spinning scents around left and right, throwing off his sense of direction. The tall, skinny wolf had taken a wrong turn long ago and had no idea where the wizard city was anymore. At some point his road had become a dirt path and he admitted what he followed now was no more than a game trail. He was deep in the woods with the darkness of the storm settling in. His damn stubbornness had gotten the best of him again. He should have turned around hours ago but it was too late for that now. The rain would start soon, he could smell it. He needed to find someplace to spend the night. The white wolf began to search for shelter in the forest as the light began to dim.

He picked up on a scent unusual for the forest and turned off the thin trail to follow it. He nosed his way through the brush and a few feet away he stumbled upon an old hut in the woods. It was crumbling apart, a bramble of thorns and ivy all was he could see of it. It would be better than nothing when the storm started, he thought. Cautiously, he skulked inside the broken archway where the door would have been. The moment his nose crossed the threshold he heard a pop and the broken walls revealed themselves to be an old castle, more than fully intact, and much larger than he thought. The illusion fell away like grains of sand as he hurried inside and shut the thick wooden door against the growing wind.

The first thing he noticed was the stale air and the creaking noises coming from the wind howling outside. A few minutes later and the rain began to pour, loud and hurried. He closed his eyes for a moment to concentrate on a spell and whispered the incantation in a hushed tone, unsure of what might be lurking. The words brought up a small, fuzzy, blue light to help him see by. The illumination revealed a long stone entryway, cobwebs laced the empty candelabras lining the walls, and tapestries hung in disrepair. He sent the light around the room bewildered by the deserted castle, and decided to continue onward. Perhaps he would discover who this belonged to.

He wandered the old rooms through the cobwebs and layers of dust. It was silent, the owner long gone he assumed. He found the study, a pantry, a dining hall, bedrooms, and more. They were furnished but many things were covered in drifting sheets. Nothing indicated that it was anything but long deserted. In a hallway adjacent to a spiral tower he found a room different from the rest. Engraved on the doors were two glyphs he'd never seen before, blue moons and gold stars, so faded he'd almost missed them. Intrigued, he pushed open the two heavy doors. They groaned as they swung inward. He stopped and stared. The room was lit by the grey gloomy light of the rain clouds and the sporadic lightning coming through the many long, dirty windows. Shadows fell silently and moved as one as the trees outside shook in the wind.

The room was two stories tall, with a round space in the center that held a few old tables, podiums, and chairs. Around them and filling the room were row upon row of old bookshelves, a treasure of knowledge. He picked a book off of the shelf and blew the dust off of it. The motes hung silvery in the still air. It was a book on wizardry. He gasped, he had only finished his second year studying magic but he knew this book was special. He had been meant to find this, he knew it.

Many hours later, and closer towards dawn than dusk, the wolf was awake and reading when he heard something in the hallway. Looking up from his seat, his ears flattened to his skull in apprehension, his fur stood on end. Green orbs of light glowed and dimmed in the doorway. It took him a moment before he realized they hid a shadow in their midst. Fighting the urge to panic and hide he raised his head. Putting the book down he called forth his light once more. Blue haloed his head as he rose and stepped toward the library entrance and the hidden stranger.

As he neared he watched the creature, wondering which spells he could use if he needed to. Hopefully they would just want to talk... He’d convinced himself that the castle had been abandoned. He had some personal shields up, just in case, but he wasn't a battler, he was a researcher. The only reason he was here was because he'd been on his way back to start his second set of courses at school after visiting home for a bit. In the dim lights he saw that she was a smoky brown kirin-like creature. Her body resembled an armored deer, the scales on her back were luminescent grey-green in the dark.

Her hawkish face was delicate but predatory, and she had a crown of antlers over her brow. Her tail was an impressive blur of elaborate jade feathers, bright orbs blossomed like emerald fire from their tips and drifted into the air like ash from a burning fire. As her green orbs moved to light the room he realized she wasn't alone. A small black creature lurked behind her. It moved behind and under the drifting, glowing. green and blue lights, in sync with the pooling darkness, following the shadows. He managed to see enough to know that it had a long snout and rows of teeth.

She claimed the land and the old castle belonged to her. Her tail whipped behind her in anger; he was trespassing. Calm and assertive he spoke up and explained that he was here by accident and would leave the following morning. He had thought the castle was empty, after all, it was in disrepair, and couldn’t have been used in years. Her green eyes sparked gold in anger. What was it to him what condition it was in? He tried to explain that he was a student and these books were valuable.. Even as he said it he realized something was off. The books weren't falling apart, just dusty, only magic could have preserved them so well. His eyes widened as he looked down at the ones in front of him, his voice trailing off. The books gleamed in the light, the only sign of their age was a slight wear and tear that any book might have from multiple readings. They were pristine. He should have noticed.

He'd been so preoccupied with what they held inside that he hadn't bothered to wonder how it was even possible that they hadn't crumbled at his touch. He swallowed as he looked back up at her, wary now. He should just leave, he thought, but she refused to let him pass until she questioned him, adamant that he was here to steal. He swore he didn't know how he found his way here; he'd been lost. Cackling, she shook her head, impossible. She blocked the door, refusing to let him leave. He could feel his chance to escape slipping away. He was over-matched but he was also stubborn.

"Let me go!" He demanded.

The creature hissed, her back arching as her beaked head bowed down, threatening. Angry now, his lips came back, showing his fangs in silent resistance. Her tail flicked and he saw the smaller shadow stalking away, her guard pet he assumed, as it paced back and forth. If he could get her to move as it walked away, he might be able to make a run through the door. Quickly he pulled up an aggressive spell, cold as lightning, his paws flashed and he jumped forward sending the power through himself and at her. Thrown off guard by the ball of crackling energy hurling towards her she shrieked and shrank back to the left. This was it.

He flung up the only shield spell he knew under his breath even as he bolted towards the door. Leaping, blue streams whirled out from his fur and swirled about him, he was almost at the door, two strides, one more. It banged shut and he barely managed to turn but still he hit it hard. NO.

He pulled himself up as quickly as he could, legs shaking, and lunged at her, snapping his fangs. It was life or death now; he was close enough to hear a hiss escape her beak as she snaked back from his jaws just in time. He'd missed, and as he came down to the ground again he saw the little creature was running for him. It's orbs were already destroying the last of his shield. He had to get to her first, he leaped at her again with all of his strength but not in time, not before he heard her whisper those few, final words.

His eyes went dark and it felt like he was looking through a narrow window. He started to gather a spell to wash it away but he didn’t get far. Glowing neon green lights swirled in front of him and he felt dizzy suddenly. His mind hyper-focused on the lights and though he tried to fight the spell, she was too strong. He growled, crouching, blind, ready to snap at anything, though he could hardly move. But she had other plans for him. The sorceress gestured towards the ceiling and the green lights flew up towards the high, dark reaches, like falling stars in reverse. They spread and turned into even smaller lights which swirled around the young wolf and he lost consciousness.

This may seem familiar to you.. Perhaps you've heard this Story about certain friends or the Athenaeum before..

A magical tone chimed, faint and haunting, as the door marked with a blue and golden moon and stars motif, opened fluidly. The white wolf's head turned, his sharp hearing picking it up from the tall stacks at the back of the library. A few moments later two blue translucent foxes raced up to him, stopping and sitting. They spoke every word one after the other, a strangely beautiful harmony, letting him know that Iridestra had arrived. He took another sip of his coffee, relishing the deep rich flavor. He liked to make her wait.

The library was built with honey-colored wood, shelves stretching from each of the multiple floors to the ceiling, over at least two stories. It was circular, with desks situated in the middle of the room. Big open windows let the breeze in on the right. The ceiling was a deep navy blue and was overlaid with a beautiful golden display of the constellations, which lit up, and moved. The center spire was spelled to become opaque when needed at night, and a large gold and brass telescope looked out up above. He walked out from between a stack of books beyond the foyer and went forward to meet her. She sat near the front of the library, obviously here for him and not to browse, her green feathered tail twitching impatiently. He had pulled up the hood on his robe as he came down, disliking the bright sunshine. He was usually awake at night, insomnia keeping him from dreams he could never quite remember. He blinked his bright blue eyes at the afternoon light. He wondered what she needed today.

"Iridestra," he said, stopping next to one of the tables, "What brings you to the Athenaeum today?"

She looked annoyed, per usual. His furry dragon familiar, Dawnspire, did a slow circle around the room, looking warily down at Wrassa, who was standing at the door. Wrassa was Iridestra's small, deadly protector. She had quite a few strangelings, but that one was always nearby. In addition to sharp claws, teeth, and being solid muscle, the black cat-like creature emitted glowing orbs that could hypnotize or blind. They were weak and barely visible now in the middle of the days light. He was a creature of the night as well. He was watching her too, ears forward, but only curious, not threatening. Dawnspire only looked like a cream-puff on the outside... On the inside she was equipped with a burning acid that even Wrassa knew better than to mess with.

"Bespelled," Iridestra nodded to him, "The library is looking well. The reason I'm dropping in is to find information on the "Harrows". Have you ever heard of it?"

"I've heard the word used before but nothing that would stand out. My own studies have taken me elsewhere. I was never much with the histories or superstitions."

"Hmmm... I've seen the word before, in an old book. I'm not even sure if it's the same thing. Well, I'll find out what I can today. I'm going to need you to look for any clues about them. Do you think you could handle that?"

Of course he could handle that. She always had such an attitude. But that was fine, he had one too. She was lucky that he'd agreed to be her research assistant. Really though, he couldn't have said no to all those books to read in trade. How long ago? Wait.. His mind skipped away. Of course he could handle that. He pretended to think about it and smirked at her.

"Maybe, haha. Is there a reason for this newfound interest?" He asked, arching his eyebrows.

"You know I like a good mystery, and if my hunch is right then maybe the Harrows aren't just a vague something. Maybe it's something very real."

"Well, that'd be interesting. The City Wizards wouldn't allow something that powerful to exist though. It's impossible that they wouldn't know about it."

"Perhaps. However, how would we even know? If they didn't want anyone to know, they wouldn't. Or, maybe they aren't as all-powerful as they think, and they don't know it yet."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He smirked as he caught her eye.

She shot him a look and said, "Would serve them right."

He chuckled softly. It would, it truly would. Those pretentious wizards in their great city, thinking they were better than everyone. He'd never go there. Ever. And he had the Athenaeum, everything he could want was right here... He was curious about this subject, it must be important if she needed help with it. He wondered if it had anything to do with the reading he'd gotten on the stars the other night. They were shouting so loud it was deafening, and the charts were nothing like they should be. No one could predict the future but the stars almost always had a pattern, in their movements, sounds, lights, radiation, rotations, auras, and so much he couldn't even describe but only felt during a working, anything, something, to connect the cosmic dots.. And they were just different now or completely out of any patterns he'd seen before. The ones that were supposed to have been waiting on the horizon, just gone.

"I'll look through the library, see what I can find. The planets are louder these days. Check the astrological mapping up in the alcove, I think your questions might have something to do with the current chaos. Little is coincidence, you know," he said softly.

Credits: Story, background, profile css, pet overlay, and minion overlay by: Iridescent

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Spoilers ahead about Bespelled, or B. as I call him!
He may seem alone but do not fret he has friends, and will have more in the future. There's a good chance he won't always be a slave. Due to his compulsion B. doesn't remember much of his time before wandering into Compel's forest. But there is a wolf pack, called the Swiftest that roams the woods and prairie and even into the mountains occasionally. One of it's members, Foxx, accidentally discovered Bespelled one day. He invited B. to leave the Keep and go with him to his pack, hoping to somehow free him but it was impossible. Instead, they meet up every so often. It lets the pack see that he's still alive and it's good for Bespelled to remember that there is still another world outside of the Keep.

Swift Wolves: Foxx - Manitou - Swiftest

Storylines with: Iridestra - Mirador - Werelit