Wizard (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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ph_logs2025-05-17 02:46 am
substitutiarylocomotion) wrote in ph_logs2025-05-17 02:46 am
The Hardest Part of Any Journey is the First Step | OTA
Who: Wizard (substitutiarylocomotion) & any interested parties.
What: Wizard works towards getting better settled and explores some new locations.
When: Mid-to-late May
Where: Lockwood Forest, Southwest Hollow, Fall's Promise Cemetery, South Train Station
[ A NEW NORMAL - OTA ]
LOCKWOOD FOREST
[A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and, for Sylus, that step was lumber. Work on the Arcanium was going well as far as the planning state was concerned, but putting those plans into action required resources. The availability of open real estate had been a significant boon, but the place that he'd most liked in regards to location needed more than a little in the way of repairs. He'd researched everything that would need to be done to to make the dilapidated old building shine again but, In order to put what he'd learned on the practical side of things into action, he would need more than a little in the way of supplies.
From saps and sealants to lumber and stones, the majority of what he would need could be sourced out of the Lockwood Forest. The journey from the southern end of town to the forest and back was not a short one, but he'd taken to making trips out there several times a week in order to harvest what he needed. By animating a tree golem and having it carry the smaller things he could save himself the most backbreaking parts of the labor, but the drain on his magical reserves was still tremendous in bringing something of that size to life, even temporarily.
Whether it's during the morning part of his trip, where he's surveying desirable resources and harvesting sap, or his afternoon trudge home alongside a walking tree, Wizard can be found undertaking all manner of tasks within the southern outskirts of the Lockwood Forest.]
SOUTHWEST HOLLOW
[The area of Pumpkin Hollow where Wizard had picked-out his lodgings was a sleepy part of town. Buildings became sparser as the hustle and bustle of urban planning gave way to the somber quiet of the nearby cemetery, and the rain of the previous night had left puddles on the ground and gray clouds in the sky. The old wooden building that would someday become his Arcanium sat at a crossroad only a street away from the fences of Fall's Promise, which gave it a serene view on more clement days, but cast a gloomy feeling over it in weather like what currently hung overhead.
Despite the dilapidated appearance of the place, though, clear signs of construction could be seen in the lot surrounding it. Pallets of planks are stacked along the building's exterior while saw horses and varied building tools are distributed across other areas of the home. A trio of strange wooden golems haul items in and out of the interior and tend to simple tasks while a tired looking Wizard looks over a series of hand-drawn plans and walks the perimeter.]
FALL'S PROMISE CEMETERY
[Wizard had always had more of a mind for the sciences than he had for faith. Magic, mystical as it was to those lacking it, was just another field of study that he could explore. While he had no dislike of the clergy or its practices the appeal of carefully studying levitation or chronomancy was far more of a draw than prayer and devotion. His sister's malady had further motivated this skew towards the magical arts, and the pursuit of a panacea had been at the heart of many of his scholarly pursuits and experiments.
Even with his more clinical view of the world the fallen were something he had great respect and sympathy for. From those poor restless spirits he'd encountered in the depths of Hydeland's many forgotten ruins to the remains of the many unfortunate adventurers who fallen in pursuit of glory, Wizard had seen more death by his twenties than many would their entire lifetime. As a result, when he ended up setting up shop a stone's throw from a cemetery in place where people no longer died, it was something that he consider to have happened by chance.
Considering it the prudent thing to do, Sylus has taken to visiting the graves weekly. The separation between the departed and their loved ones that immortality had doubtlessly brought was something he imagined could cause no shortage of pain to the spirits of those resting in the grounds of Fall's Promise and, as their newest neighbor, if he could give them a little solace then it was something he was happy to provide. As a result, Wizard can be found walking the grounds, dusting off stones that have gotten dirty or overgrown and leaving small bundles of wildflowers on those headstones that seem particularity lonely.]
SOUTH TRAIN STATION
[Though he didn't have any intention to take a trip just yet the train stations of Marrow Isle had been something Wizard had been incredibly interested in. The nearest thing that his world had to a marvel of engineering like a locomotive was an enchanted carpet or arcane automata, so the notion of a steam-belching mechanical carriage that ferried people along what seemed to be minecart tracks was an entirely novel concept to him. To those even remotely familiar with Railroads there would likely be little to get excited about beyond the trip itself but, to Sylus, every part of the mundane little station was the definition of fascinating.
The locomotive and its cars were, of course, jaw-dropping to see in action, but he was equally taken with every other part of the train as well. From the conductors and their uniforms to the decoration of the cars and the luggage racks, no part of this strange new conveyance was uninteresting. Whether on the platform taking notes on small details like the exchange of railway tokens, leaning over the platform to peer at the tracks, or poke around the train itself between departures, his enthusiastic investigation of anything and everything in the station makes him easy to spot.]
WILDCARD
[If the fixed prompts don't catch your fancy, or another location sticks out to you better in regards to how and where you'd like to encounter Sylus, feel free to ask for a custom starter or pick a location you feel would make sense to bump into him. He's been slowly-but-surely exploring locations all around the island, so odds are you could encounter him just about anywhere.]
[ A CEILING, FOUR WALLS, AND A FLOOR - LOCKED TObedknobsandbroomsticks ]
ARCANIUM INTERIOR
[The interior of the building that would eventually be the center for Sylus and Scarlett's business was a far cry from the vision either would have had for the nucleus of their magical practices but it was still livable despite the clear age and dilapidation. Slight leaks in the roof and a general smell of moisture were the obstacles facing the renovation process and the overwhelming amount of surface dirt, debris, and rot had already been scoured-clean by Wizard and his golem's daily labors. The windows that had previously sat open to the air were covered, preventing the worst of nature's effects from getting inside, but several boards on the ground floor had been removed to the point that there were little gaps of exposed space leading to the outside. Upstairs had a pair of rooms directly opposite each other and the staircase, but the floorboards in both weren't in the best of shape and both the flooring and the staircase were a mixture of creaky and splintery. Furniture was borderline nonexistent, with a rough stove being the sum-total of downstairs accommodations while a sack and a bedroll in each room were what awaited above.
Grim as the state of the place sounded, the progress it had undergone in the past few weeks was already noticeable. The once-overpowering smell of rot had all-but-disappeared and the only reason moisture's aroma remained was due to the leaks in the roof. Insects, vermin, and garbage had all been completely cleaned-out and the surfaces of the home were almost entirely clean despite their age and rough condition. Warped or broken boards had been cleanly removed and their replacements were slowly being created, and the weeds that had previously subsumed the balconies had been beaten back entirely. It was still rough, but it was becoming more liveable by the day. Finances were the only thing stopping more significant leaps forward, and those would come in-time. Furniture and arcane implements would make the place feel more like a home, but none of those could be procured until they had a place that wasn't going to fall apart around them to put them in.
To that end, the bedrooms had finally been completed to a level that Sylus could move his belongings from the Oak & Iron to the Arcanium, and that meant he could dedicate more time to restoration without having to commute back and forth across town at the end of each day. As a result he can be found just about anywhere in the building. During the day he would be engaged in work or supervision, with tools or plans in-hand and a mixture of fatigue and impatience worn on his face. At night he'd be relaxing while the golems continue their work, reading books by lamplight and making use of what little he has as seating or cooking mediocre meals in the stove.]
substitutiarylocomotion) & any interested parties. What: Wizard works towards getting better settled and explores some new locations.
When: Mid-to-late May
Where: Lockwood Forest, Southwest Hollow, Fall's Promise Cemetery, South Train Station
[ A NEW NORMAL - OTA ]
LOCKWOOD FOREST
[A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and, for Sylus, that step was lumber. Work on the Arcanium was going well as far as the planning state was concerned, but putting those plans into action required resources. The availability of open real estate had been a significant boon, but the place that he'd most liked in regards to location needed more than a little in the way of repairs. He'd researched everything that would need to be done to to make the dilapidated old building shine again but, In order to put what he'd learned on the practical side of things into action, he would need more than a little in the way of supplies.
From saps and sealants to lumber and stones, the majority of what he would need could be sourced out of the Lockwood Forest. The journey from the southern end of town to the forest and back was not a short one, but he'd taken to making trips out there several times a week in order to harvest what he needed. By animating a tree golem and having it carry the smaller things he could save himself the most backbreaking parts of the labor, but the drain on his magical reserves was still tremendous in bringing something of that size to life, even temporarily.
Whether it's during the morning part of his trip, where he's surveying desirable resources and harvesting sap, or his afternoon trudge home alongside a walking tree, Wizard can be found undertaking all manner of tasks within the southern outskirts of the Lockwood Forest.]
SOUTHWEST HOLLOW
[The area of Pumpkin Hollow where Wizard had picked-out his lodgings was a sleepy part of town. Buildings became sparser as the hustle and bustle of urban planning gave way to the somber quiet of the nearby cemetery, and the rain of the previous night had left puddles on the ground and gray clouds in the sky. The old wooden building that would someday become his Arcanium sat at a crossroad only a street away from the fences of Fall's Promise, which gave it a serene view on more clement days, but cast a gloomy feeling over it in weather like what currently hung overhead.
Despite the dilapidated appearance of the place, though, clear signs of construction could be seen in the lot surrounding it. Pallets of planks are stacked along the building's exterior while saw horses and varied building tools are distributed across other areas of the home. A trio of strange wooden golems haul items in and out of the interior and tend to simple tasks while a tired looking Wizard looks over a series of hand-drawn plans and walks the perimeter.]
FALL'S PROMISE CEMETERY
[Wizard had always had more of a mind for the sciences than he had for faith. Magic, mystical as it was to those lacking it, was just another field of study that he could explore. While he had no dislike of the clergy or its practices the appeal of carefully studying levitation or chronomancy was far more of a draw than prayer and devotion. His sister's malady had further motivated this skew towards the magical arts, and the pursuit of a panacea had been at the heart of many of his scholarly pursuits and experiments.
Even with his more clinical view of the world the fallen were something he had great respect and sympathy for. From those poor restless spirits he'd encountered in the depths of Hydeland's many forgotten ruins to the remains of the many unfortunate adventurers who fallen in pursuit of glory, Wizard had seen more death by his twenties than many would their entire lifetime. As a result, when he ended up setting up shop a stone's throw from a cemetery in place where people no longer died, it was something that he consider to have happened by chance.
Considering it the prudent thing to do, Sylus has taken to visiting the graves weekly. The separation between the departed and their loved ones that immortality had doubtlessly brought was something he imagined could cause no shortage of pain to the spirits of those resting in the grounds of Fall's Promise and, as their newest neighbor, if he could give them a little solace then it was something he was happy to provide. As a result, Wizard can be found walking the grounds, dusting off stones that have gotten dirty or overgrown and leaving small bundles of wildflowers on those headstones that seem particularity lonely.]
SOUTH TRAIN STATION
[Though he didn't have any intention to take a trip just yet the train stations of Marrow Isle had been something Wizard had been incredibly interested in. The nearest thing that his world had to a marvel of engineering like a locomotive was an enchanted carpet or arcane automata, so the notion of a steam-belching mechanical carriage that ferried people along what seemed to be minecart tracks was an entirely novel concept to him. To those even remotely familiar with Railroads there would likely be little to get excited about beyond the trip itself but, to Sylus, every part of the mundane little station was the definition of fascinating.
The locomotive and its cars were, of course, jaw-dropping to see in action, but he was equally taken with every other part of the train as well. From the conductors and their uniforms to the decoration of the cars and the luggage racks, no part of this strange new conveyance was uninteresting. Whether on the platform taking notes on small details like the exchange of railway tokens, leaning over the platform to peer at the tracks, or poke around the train itself between departures, his enthusiastic investigation of anything and everything in the station makes him easy to spot.]
WILDCARD
[If the fixed prompts don't catch your fancy, or another location sticks out to you better in regards to how and where you'd like to encounter Sylus, feel free to ask for a custom starter or pick a location you feel would make sense to bump into him. He's been slowly-but-surely exploring locations all around the island, so odds are you could encounter him just about anywhere.]
[ A CEILING, FOUR WALLS, AND A FLOOR - LOCKED TO
bedknobsandbroomsticks ]ARCANIUM INTERIOR
[The interior of the building that would eventually be the center for Sylus and Scarlett's business was a far cry from the vision either would have had for the nucleus of their magical practices but it was still livable despite the clear age and dilapidation. Slight leaks in the roof and a general smell of moisture were the obstacles facing the renovation process and the overwhelming amount of surface dirt, debris, and rot had already been scoured-clean by Wizard and his golem's daily labors. The windows that had previously sat open to the air were covered, preventing the worst of nature's effects from getting inside, but several boards on the ground floor had been removed to the point that there were little gaps of exposed space leading to the outside. Upstairs had a pair of rooms directly opposite each other and the staircase, but the floorboards in both weren't in the best of shape and both the flooring and the staircase were a mixture of creaky and splintery. Furniture was borderline nonexistent, with a rough stove being the sum-total of downstairs accommodations while a sack and a bedroll in each room were what awaited above.
Grim as the state of the place sounded, the progress it had undergone in the past few weeks was already noticeable. The once-overpowering smell of rot had all-but-disappeared and the only reason moisture's aroma remained was due to the leaks in the roof. Insects, vermin, and garbage had all been completely cleaned-out and the surfaces of the home were almost entirely clean despite their age and rough condition. Warped or broken boards had been cleanly removed and their replacements were slowly being created, and the weeds that had previously subsumed the balconies had been beaten back entirely. It was still rough, but it was becoming more liveable by the day. Finances were the only thing stopping more significant leaps forward, and those would come in-time. Furniture and arcane implements would make the place feel more like a home, but none of those could be procured until they had a place that wasn't going to fall apart around them to put them in.
To that end, the bedrooms had finally been completed to a level that Sylus could move his belongings from the Oak & Iron to the Arcanium, and that meant he could dedicate more time to restoration without having to commute back and forth across town at the end of each day. As a result he can be found just about anywhere in the building. During the day he would be engaged in work or supervision, with tools or plans in-hand and a mixture of fatigue and impatience worn on his face. At night he'd be relaxing while the golems continue their work, reading books by lamplight and making use of what little he has as seating or cooking mediocre meals in the stove.]