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Post by DornKoon on Aug 13, 2023 22:49:04 GMT
Leonardtown, Maryland
The Old Dyer Cottage
Brant William Dyer had always been a pragmatic person. He dealt with things in his life practically, often using his fists or other blunt objects, whichever were accessible. He did what he could to protect that which he cared about, and despite his mother's oddities, he never once looked down upon her for it. Neither did he feel hate for the mess she made out of both her own life and, by extension, his. Henrietta Dyer had always been a self-proclaimed hedgewitch, and she had filled their home with herbs, odd books and weird concoctions for as long as Brant could remember. It was not that he really believed in all that business with hexes, blessings and spellcrafting, but his mother did, and maybe that was enough.
Of course, she had died a few weeks ago. He had found her inside the apartment... dead from an overdose, or that was what the police had told him.
She did leave a right mess for him to untangle...
Brant let out a deep sigh, tilting his head to the side as he gingerly held the small tome in his hand, glancing at the page. The cottage creaked slightly from the wind, and a soft rain fell against the roof outside. He had seen that there would be some bad weather for a few days, so he had no interest in going outside... and being cooped up inside doing nothing had never been anything for him.
"I must be going f-ing crazy, Gabs", he muttered in the direction of an armchair in front of the fireplace, causing his feline companion to open one of her eyes at the mention of her name. "She could have given me something useful or valuable... but no, a weird old cottage and all this junk, thanks, ma."
Gabrielle let out a soft meow, and Brant took a moment to regard her response...
"I know, I should not say that about ma. She is dead, and nothing can change it." He shook his head. "Yet, if this really works... maybe it will help to prove that she was not crazy, if only to myself. Or, maybe I am just losing my mind, can't rule that out. At least no one else is here to watch me make a fool of myself."
Brant had set up a circle according to the instructions in the book, and the details had been very vague. He did have to hash it out somewhat. There was mention of objects being used to make a more stable summoning, but he did not really know what this was supposed to summon... so he did not know what he wanted to... well, summon. He had lit some incense that he found inside a cupboard, along with some of his mother's handmade wax candles. The whole cottage smelled like one of those new age shops... not sure if that was a good or bad thing.
"Now, let's see... where was I?"
"Meow..."
"Right, incantation..." He squinted at the weird lines in the book, flipped back a few pages, scratched himself on the chin... "Let air and water be the essence. Let fire and the archduke of contracts be the cornerstone. With the blood from my ancestors, I call thee. The alighted earth becomes a wall. The gates in the four elements open from the crown, and the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate." He raised his free hand, not to lose count for the following part. "Shut (fill) Shut (fill) Shut (fill) Shut (fill) Shut (fill), Repeat every five times. Simply shatter once filled. Your self is under me, and my fate is in your power." Brant was starting to feel a little weird, as part of him was sure this would never work, but another part of him could feel an almost static energy pulsing beneath his skin. The wind had also started to pick up outside, as if nature was gaining power from his words. "In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer. Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, and I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead. You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, keeper of the balance!"
Instantly Gabrielle's eyes snapped open fully as she cat came to her feet in the armchair.
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hollowmaster740
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"From the crumbling remains of our old home, I rise again!"
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Post by hollowmaster740 on Aug 14, 2023 2:27:03 GMT
Thus, the boy was about to quickly discover that there was much more to what his mother practiced than meets the eye. The wind grew stronger, and the trees waved in a frantic dance, the very force of the world around him seemingly surging with action upon his every word. The circle had begun to glow in ethereal light as he went along with the incantation, a series of soft and vague whispers enveloping the area right as the lit candles began to burn brighter. The incense spread around the circle and sparks of energy began to appear, lighting aflame with the summoning taking root inside his home. For the first time in his life, he is about to experience real magic in practice. Dyer of the Woods (Celtic Music - Wolf Blood)
Brant would have a stream of mystical power flowing through his veins as the spell was unleashed, the energy convulsing in the middle of the circle to form a corporeal being. The woods themselves seemed like they whispered in the air as the windows flung open, that shining form beginning to take a humanoid shape. First, the outline, then the spirit, then the body and its clothes soon followed, a quick realization that this was a woman that he was bringing into this world. She seemed to float in the air as the mana around her swarmed her being before converging and melding into her to complete her arrival. With a sudden burst of power, the ritual was complete as a light flashed, the candles suddenly blowing out and the incense fading away into a small puff coming from its source. The wind had dwindled down as well, the area settling down while circle on the floor ceased glowing. The woman fell from her trance and landed on one knee, her long dark hair covering her face. She was dressed in smooth fabric clothing with some secure belts and pins to secure her form. Quite fantastical in design. After a bit, she slowly stood up and brushed her hair back, her glistening violet eyes adjusting to the moderate light as she looked upon him. She was indeed a beauty to see, that was for sure. As he could possibly see, she was wearing a pair of special gem-laced fabric gloves around her hands and what appeared to be an above-average size book was being held in place on her hip using a carrying brace on her waist belt. The woman simply smirked and placed her hand upon her hip as she spoke to him... "Well, well, well... You're de master that summoned me, aren't ya?"Well, damn, that accent told him something else. She was Irish. |
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Post by DornKoon on Aug 14, 2023 9:54:17 GMT
Brant had little time to react before all hell broke loose inside his cottage, window blowing up and candles snuffed out, with many things falling from the shelves and documents scattering all around. His eyes were locked on the glowing circle and the figure taking shape.
"It... worked." Was the first thing he managed to say, "Did you see Gabs, it... bloody worked." The black cat was still watching from her chair, golden eyes narrowed as she cautiously examined the strange creature that had just materialised inside HER cottage. She had better not mess with HER human. But otherwise she had made no attempt to flee, hide or become agressive. Brant cleared his throat before returning his attention to the mysterious smirking woman. "I mean, yes... suppose I did. But..." He flipped through the book, turning it upside down and squinting. He had expected a demon or something, maybe a fairy? It was very... unclear. A servant was a big word, could be a great many things. "You a servant? As in, my servant? I pictured something less... human..y, and not as Irish. Bloody hell, wow, I just."
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hollowmaster740
Moderator
"From the crumbling remains of our old home, I rise again!"
Posts: 73
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Post by hollowmaster740 on Aug 15, 2023 3:25:28 GMT
She paid attention to his mannerisms as he spoke back to her. Definitely an accent she can recognize. It's been much too long since she heard it. In fact, it's been a good long time since she had... any kind of corporeal form, really. Curious about him, she looked around and got a good glimpse of the damage that had been done to summon her. A cottage in shambles because of how the energy resonated inside of the building. A cottage... with some things she hasn't seen before. Some more tools and wares that are ahead of her time. Perhaps it's time to get reacquainted with this world again?
The woman looked back at the boy with a perplexing look on her face. "You did... and caused a good ruckus in the process." She kept her accent a little more controlled than before. "I don't know who exactly you were trying to summon, but you got me. So... hmm... You don't seem very experienced in witchcraft. Was that your first spell?" She puzzled, trying to understand his situation. Though she could see an amatuer's reaction a mile away, she had a... feeling that something was off about this one. Her voice was soft in nature once it grew a little more calm in the area. Looks like she was easy to work with.
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Post by DornKoon on Aug 15, 2023 13:08:04 GMT
"Ruckus?" Brant looked around at the chaos in the room, "...f-ck..." he muttered, rubbing the side of his neck. "Just perfect, and I had just finished cleaning up Ma's mess. I'll have to do it all over again." The young mage began to pick up things from the floor, pushing one of the bookshelves so it returned to how it was supposed to. He continued to mutter different colourful profanities under his breath simultaneously. Thankfully nothing important appeared to be broken, and the destruction had not gone into the small kitchen area.
"Well, that makes two of us, Miss", Brant replied. He made a pause at her question, clearing his throat. "Yeah, suppose it was. Ma's the one doing that sort of thing. But, as far as I know nothing ever worked for her. Always talked about it, as you can see there are a few... things here."
He brushed off one of his mother's old spellbooks before returning it to the shelf.
"So, who the f- I mean, who are you? I feel like I have seen you somewhere before, cant for the life of me remember where, however."
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hollowmaster740
Moderator
"From the crumbling remains of our old home, I rise again!"
Posts: 73
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Post by hollowmaster740 on Aug 15, 2023 18:45:24 GMT
It was pretty clear that he had just cleaned up the place and this spell just reset the damage that had been done before. So, she figured it would be a good point to help out a little bit by getting the scattered documents picked up around the room and placed generally clean onto the table near her. As she then moved on to close the windows that have been blown open earlier, she calmly sighed and turned her eyes to the boy. "Here we go..." She turned her body to him and rested, leaning softly onto the table as to not cause any accidents.
"...I am the falsely accused menace of Leonardtown." Her eyes flashed a bright blue as she looked at him. "Moll Dyer of Knockainey Hill, high witch of Ireland." She'd cross her arms for a bit, paying attention to him to see how he reacts. "And you are...?"
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Post by DornKoon on Aug 15, 2023 19:14:36 GMT
Brant, who had just picked up a stack of scattered documents from the floor, froze at the mention of her name. His eyes widened slightly, and he stood up and turned to look at her... so many questions and thoughts passed his mind in a few seconds. What, how, when... who?! She could see that he was surprised, but not the kind of surprise one might expect from a local. It was not surprising born of fear, but out of... confusion.
"Moll Dyer-" He voiced her name slowly, clearing his throat. "Yeah, I know who you are. Ma told me about you and the things they did. She talked a lot about you, usually when she was off her head on painkillers and whiskey. Saw your name in one of these books about the family, some kind of records."
He paused, trying to find the words to answer her question. He was not sure how she might react.
"I'm Brant," Brant finally said. "Brant W-William Dyer."
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hollowmaster740
Moderator
"From the crumbling remains of our old home, I rise again!"
Posts: 73
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Post by hollowmaster740 on Aug 16, 2023 1:12:28 GMT
"...What?"
Her eyes widened at the way the boy spoke his name. She was actually pretty surprised as well as a little confused. The first spell cast by a boy in this cottage and it was one of her descendants? Her descendants? She could tell that his mana within his body is very familiar in its core, but this boy was considered foreign to her in a way. Still... that name.
Moll slowly walked over to him, looking over his figure and brushed her hair back before speaking again. "Brant... William Dyer..." Her eyes haven't left his gaze, the woman simply wanting to know more. "William... That's my firstborn son's name..."
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Post by DornKoon on Aug 16, 2023 9:38:32 GMT
Brant could not say he found it comfortable with her staring at him like she did, even less when she came closer and began to examine him.
"Well, yes... that's me." He said, stepping backwards to create at least some distance. "The name Ma gave me..."
It was difficult to look away from her gaze, and there was power behind those eyes, but also something else that he could not well place.
"Yeah, I know. Ma told me that too, not as much as about you, but she mentioned the name." Finally, Brant did manage to turn away. He ran a nervous hand through his hair. "Well, here's... home, I guess, whatever you want to call it. It has been in the family for a long time, even if I did not know about it until after Ma died. So, is it just me and Gabrielle, or Gabs, as I call her. Don't worry if she looks like she is judging you... she does it to everyone."
The black cat yawned.
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hollowmaster740
Moderator
"From the crumbling remains of our old home, I rise again!"
Posts: 73
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Post by hollowmaster740 on Aug 17, 2023 0:35:46 GMT
"I, um... Mm..." She quickly deduced that she was making him uncomfortable, turning her head a bit. "S-Sorry... I didn't mean to be a creeper there. I just... miss my family." She wiped her eyes to clear the soft tears from her eyes and recomposed herself. "To think, the latest descendant of my bloodline brought be back from death... as a..." She takes a deep breath, clapping her hands together. "Alright then. If I'm going to be living with you, I guess I'll add some touch-ups to enhance our quality of life. Particularly with..." Then she reaches into her pants pocket...
Only to feel nothing inside it. "--Huh?!" She feels around inside it until she checks the other pockets on her person. "Fecking..." Moll moved to rub her own face in agitation. "Mmnn... Son of a broad-chested wh-re. I'm missing my assortment of plant seeds..."
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Post by DornKoon on Aug 17, 2023 9:35:26 GMT
"Is fine," Brant said, shaking his head, "I can- get that, the missing family part. Sure, Ma was not Mother of the Year material, but... well." He was not sure what she had intended to say... as what? He was still not sure what was going on, other than that a dead ancestor was now standing alive in his home. An ancestor that everyone had called a witch, and from how she introduced herself, she seemed like she had been one. Brant watched her reach into her pocket, followed by an outburst and a very nice swearword he had never thought of using. "Broad-chested wh-re?" He grinned a little. "Yeah, I can see we must be related. I'll keep that one in mind for later use."Plant seeds? He exchanged a glance with Gabrielle... "We have plant seeds, herbs, and other stuff." He said, reaching down to pick up the cat and holding her in his arms. It felt nice to have her close, as an emotional anchor in all this weirdness. "It's in the kitchen, one of those really old apothecary cabinet things. I've not looked at everything, but Ma spent much time writing what was in each drawer." He walked the few steps needed to get into the kitchen, which was as old as the rest of the cottage, but had been spared the chaos. Standing by one of the walls was a large cabinet with many small drawers, each labelled with a number. "I think Ma had a notebook somewhere for all these numbers..." Brant crouched down and pulled out one of the larger bottom drawers, pulling out a tattered old notebook and blowing dust off it. It was sort of impressive how professional his mother could be whenever it had anything to do with her witch obsessions... and yet she never showed up for any of the parent-teacher meetings when he was at school.
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hollowmaster740
Moderator
"From the crumbling remains of our old home, I rise again!"
Posts: 73
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Post by hollowmaster740 on Aug 22, 2023 3:20:20 GMT
Moll perked up when he mentioned he had the plants she needed, possibly more. That quickly put a smile on her face as she followed him into the small kitchen. "That's awesome! Thank you!"
She took a bit of time to examine the kitchen while he went to the cabinet. It didn't seem like anything that special, bit it will definitely do. Years upon years back, she had to manage with a lot more demand for survival out there in the old states. They didn't have much technology back then. Now, she can probably learn the basics, at least. The woman approached the cabinet, standing next to the boy and watching him handle the book. She'd move her hand over to him to try to check out the book and see what she can find. "May I...?"
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Post by DornKoon on Aug 22, 2023 19:09:40 GMT
Brant looked at Moll when she walked into the kitchen.
"I guess," he replied... handing the book over to her. Inside would be a collection of neat numbers, with a note next to it on what was in that drawer. Most of them were herbs, dried plants, animal parts, and minerals of different kinds. She had been a meticulous woman.
"I was thinking to throw it out, but... in the end, I could not bring myself to do it." Brant ran a hand along the wood of the cabinet, and for a moment, there was a hint of loss in his eyes before he shook his head. " So, what you going to do with this stuff?"
His eyes turned to look at Moll.
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hollowmaster740
Moderator
"From the crumbling remains of our old home, I rise again!"
Posts: 73
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Post by hollowmaster740 on Aug 23, 2023 13:42:40 GMT
The woman gladly accepted the book from her partner. "Thank you, dear. Let's see..."
Opening the book and looking through the pages, Moll found a LOT of useful information that she can use for this cabinet. Seeds, dried plants, herbs, animal appendages, the works! There's plenty she can use to get things back in order for the cottage. Although there seems to be a few specific things missing, she can work with it for the time. If anything, she can find them later.
Then she looked up to see Brant, finding that he felt a little somber while being near the cabinet. She felt bad for her descendant, knowing that he had recently lost his mother. Throughout her first appearance here, she's been hearing a lot of good things about her along with some weird tidbits. She practiced witchcraft, sure, but from the looks of it, she couldn't get anything out of it. She may have an explanation for that, as much as he may not like it.
Seeing that he straightened himself up, she smiled as he asked her what her plan is. "I'm going to make a garden to supply us with more resources. It'll be easy for me to do. Also, some of these plants will prove useful for both offensive and defensive purposes. Thorns and poisons, you know." She then looked over at him and thought about what he told her earlier. Before she cut him the news, though, he needed to get some tutoring done. "Now, this is your chance to start doing great things, Brant. You have one of the world's grandest witches here with you, and you've proven that you can harness magic. You have a lot to learn." She dramatically closed the book with one hand.
"So, how about it? Shall I take you under my wing?"
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Post by DornKoon on Aug 23, 2023 19:31:20 GMT
"A garden?" Brant tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, think there is room outside. The cottage is in the middle of nowhere, so no other houses... and think there is a nice chunk of land belonging to it." He leaned to look out though the kitchen window. He did not know about poisons and thorns, but he would have to take her word for it: she was the mysterious witch he summoned in his living room.
"Wait, wait..." He turned to look at Moll again. "You mean- I could learn magic?" It sounded crazy, and maybe normally he would have called her crazy... but she was here, and he had done magic already unless this was some very, very ambitious hoax, which it did not seem like it was. He reached out to scratch his feline companion behind the ear. Mom had always talked about magic, and here it was. " I- that is- yeah, I would like that. Not sure what that means, but I think it is what Ma would have wanted me to do."
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