Book Hunting (David McKinnon)
Sept 14, 2013 17:40:35 GMT -6
Post by Morgana Le Feuvre on Sept 14, 2013 17:40:35 GMT -6
After weeks of preparation Morgana was ready to take the final step. Mr. McKinnon had some very useful books, books that would aid her in her quest to become a more powerful mage. Normally when she found a warlock with information she wanted, she'd try to make some agreement to obtain the books in a more legal fashion. Sometimes she'd offer some of herbal remedies or magic potions (including poisons). In other case she'd teach them spells or let them borrow some of her books. She never let them keep any. Her library was more precious than anything to her. However, she knew Mr. McKinnon wasn't like most. She had sensed his dark aura from the moment she'd first laid eyes on him. Such incredible magic...She was sure someone at his skill level would have a useful book or two.
She had been masking her magical signature when she stumbled across him. She'd caused quite a disturbance at the time with a group of light mages. She had stolen some books they had been attempting to destroy; and, she killed them to make certain they would never repeat the horrible crime again. Unfortunately, they had friends and fighting just those individuals had drained a lot of energy. The books took precedence. She had fled and attempted to hide her presence. She figured she could always track down the other mages later and make sure they didn't try to eradicate anymore precious knowledge. Short-sighted, narrow-minded, hypocritical, and disgusting. That's what they were. How dare they try and banish others' thoughts and ideas from the world. Everyone had a right to communicate their information. If you didn't agree with the ideas or want to promote them that was your choice. But it was the deepest heresy to try and make sure no one else ever learned or expanded upon that knowledge.
She had been convinced that Mr. McKinnon would have some useful books; but, she didn't think it wise to approach him. He was clearly powerful. Whether or not he was more powerful than her was debatable but it was likely that he wouldn't agree to hand over any of his books and she would be more suspicious if he did. As much as she detested the light mages who wished to banish all memory of dark magic from the world, they were easier to deal with. She knew they at least would never use spells to control her mind or ensnare her will. She was very well versed in protective mind magic but she didn't want to risk her mind powers against someone of Mr. McKinnon's level. When attempting to fine tune your mage powers it was best to rely on caution and patience. A mistake could very well cost you your life or your sanity and then you'd never be able to properly learn anything again. There was no worse fate.
She had been continuing to hide her presence while stalking Mr. McKinnon. She stalked him both through magical and mundane means. She cast transformation spells on herself so she could follow him or invisibility spells when he was in an area with fewer people. She'd also followed his movements through her crystal ball. She'd also used her natural ability to communicate with flora and fauna to keep a close eye on him. The wards and protections on his home were impressive. She couldn't use her magic to see inside. But she learned plenty from observing.
There was a girl that lived with, an Erika Delicia Danielles. Honestly Morgana was quite confused as to why the novice mage was staying with him. While Mr. McKinnon's aura was clearly dark and malevolent hers was not. There was something strange about it, an air of depression and lingering darkness of some sort; but, it was clear that her will was invested in protecting. Through stalking both Mr. McKinnon and Ms. Danielles she had discovered that Erika was a seer. That explained the dark tint to her and why the powerful sorcerer was so interested in her. Seers could certainly provide invaluable insight in a number of matters.
From her observations she had learned that only Mr. McKinnon and Ms. Danielles resided in his safe house. If she could study the wards and forces protecting the home and disable them when both were away, she could slip into his library and easily take what she wanted.
Morgana was very willful but for all her willfulness she was a very patient and disciplined woman. Concentration was particularly important for someone like her who could hear nature. In her natural state, she would be unable to tune out any nearby flora or fauna. She'd hear everything. She had been trained to silence the noise and only hear their thoughts when she focused on the individual plants. It had been no easy feat and had taken much practice as a child. In any case, she understood better than most that if something was worth doing it was worth doing well. She only rushed into situations when there was no other alternative. For example if books were about to be destroyed there was no helping some impulsiveness. She'd have to adapt without any prior preparation.
But this was not the case here. She'd taken her time scoping out the area and learning what she could about the barriers, wards, and magical alarms that surrounded Mr. McKinnon's home. Erika was at Pittsburgh University, attending classes at the moment. And Mr. McKinnon had stepped out to run an errand. He was likely looking for more magic books. What he was up to didn't matter to Morgana so long as he didn't return before she had finished her work.
She cast a spell, confirming that the premise was empty and that Mr. McKinnon hadn't simply deceived Morgana into believing he had left. (Erika didn't have the skill for such a task at the moment.)
Convinced that she was in fact alone, Morgana began her work. She chanted a number of spells to disable alarms, barriers, and wards. When she was finished she cast a simple unlock spell on the door and hurried inside. She had managed to figure out what the interior was like before her break in. She didn't like to assault the safe haven of any mage, particularly a mage as dark and powerful and Mr. McKinnon without first obtaining some basic blue prints of the interior. It had been difficult as the place was ridiculously well warded. She hadn't wanted to disable anything to poke and prod inside as that would alert Mr. McKinnon to her intentions before she was ready to steal anything.
She had bided her time. She had figured Erika would be the weak link and her assumptions had proven correct. The apprentice was not apt at either detecting the presence of other mages or shielding her own mind. Morgana had secretly sifted through the girl's memories. She didn't try to tamper with Erika any more than necessary. She just wanted to learn about the workings of Mr. McKinnon's house. Although sifting through Erika's head had scared her a bit. It seemed the seer wasn't quite alone in her mind. There had been another presence and the other presence had been very much aware of Morgana's activity. Fortunately, it seemed to be more amused with Morgana's intentions than anything; and, as far as Morgana could tell, it hadn't warned Erika of what transpired.
If it had warned Erika later she showed no signs of it. She acted normally and didn't seem to warn Mr. McKinnon about anything.
Once inside the house, the spells were half hazard and sloppy. Mr. McKinnon was an arrogant sort. He'd never expected anyone to make it this far. She quickly chanted some spells before moving into the library. She had planned to skim through all the titles and determine which books would be most valuable to her that way. However, plans quickly changed. A dark powerful aura radiated from one book in particular. It was so strong...It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She quickly moved towards the book, grabbed it and placed it in her magical container. Basically she had forged herself an invisible magic suitcase. It would hold a great number of books and levitate behind her as she moved. She could transport many more books this way.
It wasn't just the book that was radiating dark energy but an amulet as well. She also placed this article in the suitcase. She didn't bother to glance at either the book or amulet in greater detail. She would have plenty of time for that later. She had more space and she wanted to load her suitcase up with a treasure trove of books. And she was on a time table. She should make her choices quickly. She began skimming through the titles of books and placing them in her suitcase. This would be a very nice haul indeed.
She had been masking her magical signature when she stumbled across him. She'd caused quite a disturbance at the time with a group of light mages. She had stolen some books they had been attempting to destroy; and, she killed them to make certain they would never repeat the horrible crime again. Unfortunately, they had friends and fighting just those individuals had drained a lot of energy. The books took precedence. She had fled and attempted to hide her presence. She figured she could always track down the other mages later and make sure they didn't try to eradicate anymore precious knowledge. Short-sighted, narrow-minded, hypocritical, and disgusting. That's what they were. How dare they try and banish others' thoughts and ideas from the world. Everyone had a right to communicate their information. If you didn't agree with the ideas or want to promote them that was your choice. But it was the deepest heresy to try and make sure no one else ever learned or expanded upon that knowledge.
She had been convinced that Mr. McKinnon would have some useful books; but, she didn't think it wise to approach him. He was clearly powerful. Whether or not he was more powerful than her was debatable but it was likely that he wouldn't agree to hand over any of his books and she would be more suspicious if he did. As much as she detested the light mages who wished to banish all memory of dark magic from the world, they were easier to deal with. She knew they at least would never use spells to control her mind or ensnare her will. She was very well versed in protective mind magic but she didn't want to risk her mind powers against someone of Mr. McKinnon's level. When attempting to fine tune your mage powers it was best to rely on caution and patience. A mistake could very well cost you your life or your sanity and then you'd never be able to properly learn anything again. There was no worse fate.
She had been continuing to hide her presence while stalking Mr. McKinnon. She stalked him both through magical and mundane means. She cast transformation spells on herself so she could follow him or invisibility spells when he was in an area with fewer people. She'd also followed his movements through her crystal ball. She'd also used her natural ability to communicate with flora and fauna to keep a close eye on him. The wards and protections on his home were impressive. She couldn't use her magic to see inside. But she learned plenty from observing.
There was a girl that lived with, an Erika Delicia Danielles. Honestly Morgana was quite confused as to why the novice mage was staying with him. While Mr. McKinnon's aura was clearly dark and malevolent hers was not. There was something strange about it, an air of depression and lingering darkness of some sort; but, it was clear that her will was invested in protecting. Through stalking both Mr. McKinnon and Ms. Danielles she had discovered that Erika was a seer. That explained the dark tint to her and why the powerful sorcerer was so interested in her. Seers could certainly provide invaluable insight in a number of matters.
From her observations she had learned that only Mr. McKinnon and Ms. Danielles resided in his safe house. If she could study the wards and forces protecting the home and disable them when both were away, she could slip into his library and easily take what she wanted.
Morgana was very willful but for all her willfulness she was a very patient and disciplined woman. Concentration was particularly important for someone like her who could hear nature. In her natural state, she would be unable to tune out any nearby flora or fauna. She'd hear everything. She had been trained to silence the noise and only hear their thoughts when she focused on the individual plants. It had been no easy feat and had taken much practice as a child. In any case, she understood better than most that if something was worth doing it was worth doing well. She only rushed into situations when there was no other alternative. For example if books were about to be destroyed there was no helping some impulsiveness. She'd have to adapt without any prior preparation.
But this was not the case here. She'd taken her time scoping out the area and learning what she could about the barriers, wards, and magical alarms that surrounded Mr. McKinnon's home. Erika was at Pittsburgh University, attending classes at the moment. And Mr. McKinnon had stepped out to run an errand. He was likely looking for more magic books. What he was up to didn't matter to Morgana so long as he didn't return before she had finished her work.
She cast a spell, confirming that the premise was empty and that Mr. McKinnon hadn't simply deceived Morgana into believing he had left. (Erika didn't have the skill for such a task at the moment.)
Convinced that she was in fact alone, Morgana began her work. She chanted a number of spells to disable alarms, barriers, and wards. When she was finished she cast a simple unlock spell on the door and hurried inside. She had managed to figure out what the interior was like before her break in. She didn't like to assault the safe haven of any mage, particularly a mage as dark and powerful and Mr. McKinnon without first obtaining some basic blue prints of the interior. It had been difficult as the place was ridiculously well warded. She hadn't wanted to disable anything to poke and prod inside as that would alert Mr. McKinnon to her intentions before she was ready to steal anything.
She had bided her time. She had figured Erika would be the weak link and her assumptions had proven correct. The apprentice was not apt at either detecting the presence of other mages or shielding her own mind. Morgana had secretly sifted through the girl's memories. She didn't try to tamper with Erika any more than necessary. She just wanted to learn about the workings of Mr. McKinnon's house. Although sifting through Erika's head had scared her a bit. It seemed the seer wasn't quite alone in her mind. There had been another presence and the other presence had been very much aware of Morgana's activity. Fortunately, it seemed to be more amused with Morgana's intentions than anything; and, as far as Morgana could tell, it hadn't warned Erika of what transpired.
If it had warned Erika later she showed no signs of it. She acted normally and didn't seem to warn Mr. McKinnon about anything.
Once inside the house, the spells were half hazard and sloppy. Mr. McKinnon was an arrogant sort. He'd never expected anyone to make it this far. She quickly chanted some spells before moving into the library. She had planned to skim through all the titles and determine which books would be most valuable to her that way. However, plans quickly changed. A dark powerful aura radiated from one book in particular. It was so strong...It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She quickly moved towards the book, grabbed it and placed it in her magical container. Basically she had forged herself an invisible magic suitcase. It would hold a great number of books and levitate behind her as she moved. She could transport many more books this way.
It wasn't just the book that was radiating dark energy but an amulet as well. She also placed this article in the suitcase. She didn't bother to glance at either the book or amulet in greater detail. She would have plenty of time for that later. She had more space and she wanted to load her suitcase up with a treasure trove of books. And she was on a time table. She should make her choices quickly. She began skimming through the titles of books and placing them in her suitcase. This would be a very nice haul indeed.
