The Advanced Riastrad

"I guess I should start with the Riastrad." Zeitsya begins, as she crawls deeper into the brook, the chill water rippling gently around her frame. You follow her, striding into the cool current of the shallow stream, allowing the waters to wash away the scent of your indiscretion. "As you may know we, in the bog clans, do not typically make use of the Riastrad. That is not to say that we do not have one, or that we are ignorant of it, just that it's not typically as prevalent in my clans. I, however, am the exception to that rule but we will get to that in a bit. The source of the Riastrad itself is made up of more than just the Old Magic, it is shaped and controlled by the will of the collective souls of our own ancestors which became an entity which I call the Locus of Life.

When we die, the souls of our kind are drawn invariably into the Locus of Life, thus increasing its power, it is this entity that vies for control of those of us who use it. Furthermore, the manifestations of a Riastrad are variable, though only rarely. These variations are called alignments, and there are five possible alignments of a Riastrad, the first being an unaligned Riastrad which is the most common type of Riastrad. In the earliest stages of development, all Riastrad are unaligned. As a Riastrad becomes more developed, it may become aligned with an element such as fire, water, earth, or air. The alignment of a Riastrad is determined by the Locus of Life and is only given to those who have proven themselves worthy of it. In the early stages of development, these affinities are almost indistinguishable from one another. The only differences which manifest themselves in an undeveloped Riastrad are as follows. Those with a fire affinity have greater difficulty in controlling their Riastrad. Those with a water affinity have a much easier time controlling their Riastrad. Those with a wind affinity experience a greater increase in physical speed than others. Those with an earth affinity experience greater cognitive speed than others, and those with no affinity experience the greatest increases to physical strength and durability. Among these, the unaligned Riastrad is by far the most common, while the Fire Riastrad is the least common. As a Riastrad develops, its power increases exponentially and the power of its alignment increases with it.

For example, in the intermediate stages of a developing Riastrad, a Water Riastrad user may be able to manipulate fluids in addition to enhancements to their physical strength, speed, or agility. In the late stages of that Riastrad's development, the user may be able to pull moisture from the air or move clouds and even conjure water where none can be found. Once a Riastrad becomes aligned the only way for it to develop is through constant use. You may be wondering how I came to know all of this and the answer to that question is simple enough. I actually have a Water aligned Riastrad myself, in fact I'm only the third person that I know of, to have ever had it. One of the boons of having a water alignment is that I can communicate with the Locus of Life from time to time, which is to say that it can impart upon me a certain level of knowledge and understanding about things I would otherwise have no way of knowing, like the Riastrad alignments. Another benefit of my alignment is that I do not have to go through any ritual or meditation to use my abilities to their fullest. In fact my control over my Riastrad is all but effortless, I can even end it after only using it for a second or two, thus leaving me with virtually no recovery period.

My own Riastrad is still in its intermediary stages however, and the greatest downfall of it is that it progresses more slowly than the other types, especially fire or wind. A good example of my power would be when I used it earlier to restrict the flow of blood to your brain and redirect some of it to... more important places. It succeeded in making you quite a bit easier to seduce and ultimately all of this benefits you as much as, or more than, it does me.." You couldn't be absolutely certain, but she seemed to be telling the truth. The Bog Clans were always more attuned to spiritual matters, your lack of knowledge or interest in such things meant you had no real reason to doubt the validity of her claims. Yet for some reason, you questioned the veracity of her words, despite the fact her explanation of things generally made sense to you. "If you really can control water, then prove it. This matter is entirely too important for me to take any chances, I cannot afford to allow myself to be lied to. I saw proof from Hjalund and so I demand the same from you." You command of her.

Her facial response was one which conveyed an odd mixture of amusement and disappointment. "I suppose there is no harm in that, though you may disagree with this statement in a moment." She claims as she swishes about a bit in the shallow water. You are about waist deep in a divot of the creek, with icy water wrapping about your lower half, when gradually the current around you ceases. The water in the immediate area surrounding you becomes entirely still, meanwhile the rest of the stream continues flowing. The water around you begins to flow again, only this time it's motion is localized. You watch as it begins swirling slightly around your cock and balls, and though the stimulation is fairly pleasant at first, it quickly becomes most unpleasant. You can feel a swelling, an increasing sensation of tightness, building in your balls. It isn't long before the ache plateaus, leaving your balls just as swollen and heavy as they were before your tryst with Zeitsya. "There, now you can satisfy your mate as well tonight, she won't even know the difference. Does that put your mind at ease Ogma?" She asks with a signature half smile, having clearly regained her usual air of haughtiness.

This was definitely proof enough for you but there was still a singular flaw in her story, one which was nonetheless worthy of further inquiry. "There is still one problem," You say quizzically, "You have said that a Riastrad develops only by being used frequently, and that the actual summoning of an aligned element is only possible in the final stages of an Advanced Riastrad. If that is true then that means that Hjalund is either a liar or a complete exception to that rule. When I confronted him, he explained to me that it was only his second time using his power. So my question to you is this, how is that possible?"

She pauses for a moment before responding, and for the first time you detect a tinge of doubt in her voice, a slight shakiness which was quite unlike her. "I do not know. Most if not all of the knowledge I possess of the Old Magic, and magic in general, stems from my connection to the Locus of Life. I know only what it tells me. All that was revealed to me in regards to the Fire Riastrad by the Locus were its basic aspects and that only one person has ever had it. I didn't even know until last night that that person was Hjalund! It could just as easily be either one of the two, for while it is easy enough for anyone to lie, the Locus of Life does many strange things. I would not doubt that it could hasten the development of a Riastrad if it desired such a thing."

"He claimed that when he first used it, it killed his own family. How can that be?" You ask her. "As I've said, I was told that one of the basic properties of a Fire Riastrad is that they are more difficult to control than the other four. I've also told you that fire develops more quickly than the others, with the exclusion of wind. It wasn't revealed to me just how fast that development would be, only that it would be more rapid than my own. With a Riastrad as exceptional as that one, I would imagine it would have significant drawbacks, in fact I would be truly surprised if it didn't." Her answers were less than satisfactory, but they would suffice for now. Not only were you not entirely to blame for your tryst with Zeitsya, You also finally had some sort of explanation of The happenings considering Hjalunds hitherto hidden power, as well as Zeitsyas own mysterious capabilities. Your mind remained curious still, "I have heard that you can heal people using the Old Magic, is that true as well?" You ask.

You both begin to wash yourselves in earnest now, whilst you continue your conversation. "It's not exactly polite to change the subject like that, Ogma. Yes I can heal people with the Old Magic, but my methods are not something I feel like sharing at the moment, and since you changed the subject of our conversation so abruptly, I shall have no reservations about doing the very same thing. I'm sure that you remember what the source of the Old Magic is but for the sake of discussion allow me to refresh your memory. Before the time of men when the world was still young, the mighty behemoths roamed the earth. These immense beings were vast in both size and power, in those forgotten days they were surpassed only by the dragons in power. Nothing yet in the world was stronger of body than the behemoth, though the magic of the dragons was greater still. While the behemoths were generally peaceful and slow to anger, they were a **** to be reckoned with.

When humankind first arrived upon the face of the earth, the dragons drove the behemoths to the far regions of the earth, in order to protect mankind. Most of the behemoths were driven into the north, far into the lands of the titans. The titans, though smaller, younger, and somewhat weaker than behemoths, were not willing to accommodate their trespassers. The titans made war upon the the behemoths in the frozen mountains of the far northwest, and for many years the conflict raged. Though the behemoths were slow to anger their wrath, once aroused, was an enduring ****. Over the course of this war, the mountains of that area were worn away, leaving only a vast plain of frozen wasteland. Ultimately the remaining titans retreated into the waters of the deep seas, leaving only the enraged behemoths behind. The persisting rage of the few remaining behemoths lured them south to destroy the early gatherings of men, because of this our ancestors wove a mighty spell to lull them to sleep, thus protecting mankind from the threat of the roaming behemoths. The spell proved costly, as an untold number of our ancestors lost their lives in the sacrificial rites performed in those days. From then on the souls of our ancestors became intertwined with the wild dreams of the behemoths. Those who survived the ritual gathered behind the first behemoth they saw, and followed it from a distance until at last the spell took root.

When the beast finally fell, our ancestors claimed that spot as sacred and guarded the beast for a time. Generation by generation they protected it, and buried their dead beside it. In time the dreams of the sleeping behemoth became one with the dreams of those who so revered it. The radiating magic of the behemoth soon seeped into our ancestors and ossified the bones of their dead to protect it. Our ancestors prospered from their newfound power, though they did not understand it, this caused them to seek out the other behemoths and guard them as well. Yet eventually they were driven away by the other tribes, like the Atmorans, with their inventions of fire and iron. To this very day the Locus of Life itself guards that first behemoth, from atop of the Mountain of Souls, the greatest grave of our predecessors.

The actual magic of the behemoths, which radiates from them as they sleep, is utilized by us as the Old Magic. This magic is capable of truly remarkable things, I have only begun to grasp at its full potential. In time, I will show you what I know. For now, however, we should be returning. The sun will not stay in the sky forever." As she finishes her discourse and wades out from the water, you shake the moisture from your long beard and hair. "One thing is for certain Zeitsya, useful or not, if you manipulate me in such a way again I will not..." She interrupts you abruptly. "You will not restrain yourself from killing me, right? Really, this again? Your threats may work on Hjalund but they do NOT work on me." While you are not surprised by her response it doesn't detract from the validity of your warning, and though you aren't sure how she would know that you threatened Hjalund, that is of little concern at the moment. As you are gathering your thoughts you have but a final question remaining. "So does this mean you will continue with us?" You ask her, knowing full well that she got what she wanted, but uncertain as to whether or not it was enough. It's not like you had any real way to coerce her into coming along. "Oh? But of course. I never planned on leaving actually, I'd be much too bored. This place is nearly as boring as the bog, and abandoning that place is the best decision I ever made, the second best being this lovely little distraction of ours. Trust me, I wouldn't want to miss ANY opportunity to repeat today's events." She responds lightly.

"Repeat? This was a one time mistake Zeitsya, I was fooled this once and it will not be so a second time." You declare, certain that your resolve would prevail in the event of another temptation. "Dear Ogma, I really think you are overstating your own role in this fun little game of ours. You see, I am not some mate, nor am I a lover or anything of the kind. I merely have needs, interests, and desires that must be accommodated. Aside from that, you and I are no more than friends and allies, and at times I wonder if we are barely even that." She says as she finishes clothing herself and straightening her things out, you begin to redress your own clothing. She walks off ahead of you quietly and you follow behind before long, while innumerable thoughts swirl through your head.