(Sorry for the wait, hopefully it was worth it)
Silvia was just placing the last candle around the pool as Solomon stepped into his laboratory. The candles weren’t strictly necessary for the ritual itself, but they would help him see and interpret its results.
The circular pool itself was not large, perhaps three feet across and no more than about eight inches deep, but it had still been a chore to have it brought in and properly aligned; it would be a permanent fixture of his laboratory from now on.
He slowly limped around the pool, ensuring the candles were properly spaced, before making his way over to a table near the wall. Thirteen pieces of varied-color stones laid spread out on the table; vim vis that would be necessary for the ritual. He grabbed the vis, two stones at a time, and unceremoniously dropped them into the pool, taking caution to not cause the water to spill over its edges. Once all of the stones had been placed in the pool, he nodded to Silvia, who began lighting each of the candles.
As Silvia circled the pool completing her task, Solomon picked up one final, uninteresting stone from the table. This one had been taken from the center of Arans, and would serve as his arcane connection to the nearby village.
Once she was finished, Silvia silently exited the laboratory and closed the door, leaving Solomon alone so he could concentrate on this powerful ritual. He looked down through the clear water and could see the thirteen stone pawns of vis sitting on the bottom of the pool. He took a deep breath and offered a quick prayer to the Creator before he slowly began circling the pool. At first he said nothing, only focusing his thoughts on the thirteen stones, counting them as he made each revolution. After three circles around the pool, he began to softly chant as he still focused on the pool. After nine more rotations his voice became louder and bubbles originating from each stone could be seen floating to the surface of the pool. He completed three more circles at this increased volume before the pool began to boil. He could feel his throat becoming raspy as he continued this process for eighteen more cycles around the pool until the water again took on a placid state. Stopping, Solomon looked down, noting that the water was now opaque, having been infused with the vim vis that was provided.
He took a few moments to stretch his legs, he’d been circling the pool for nearly two hours, before he checked his calculations one last time, ensuring he knew exactly which direction was north. Once he was certain they were correct, he took his place on the southern side of the pool and again said a silent prayer. Taking the “Arans stone”, he leaned over the pool and dropped it in the center of the pool. The stone sank, but only halfway, as if the viscosity of the vim-infused water was too thick to allow it to sink any more.
He then slowly sat down on the floor facing the pool and with some strain, crossed his legs. He held his staff horizontally in front of him with both hands and took a deep breath before chanting again. This time, ripples began to flow outwards from the “Arans stone”, at first expanding as if the stone had been dropped into the water and allowed to sink. This continued for quite some time, until eventually the water began to swirl, creating a whirlpool effect centered on the stone. Solomon could feel the power of the vim vis infused water acting upon the stone. He cleared his mind of the pain he could feel in his arms as he began to focus on his goal. He was looking for the Gift, searching for those ripples in the fabric of reality that the Gift caused. He would use the vim water to power his magic, focusing on the stone, and where it came from. The whirlpool stopped, and the ripples began again. However this time, ripples began emanating from two other objects in the pool. In two locations, one northeast of the “Arans stone” and one due west; the vim in the pool had solidified again and identified two individuals with the Gift.
Exhaling a long held breath, Solomon stood, his bones aching and creaking as he finally moved after over two hours of sitting. Slowly he walked over to the table and pulled out a crudely drawn map of Arans. Noting the point that had been drawn on the map representing where the stone had been taken from, he measured out to where the two floating pieces of vim indicated were individuals with the Gift. He would investigate both. He hoped at least one would serve as a worthy apprentice.
Fearing that the two potential apprentices might move if he waited too long, Solomon called out to Sophia, who was currently circling Arans, to find a suitable place for him to Leap. Once she had found a secluded location, Solomon joined her and, map in hand, heading in the direction of the first candidate.
[hr][/hr]
(Note, the casting total doesn't reflect what is on Solomon's character sheet, but rather what has been calculated on the Mage Planner through Winter of 1239. I haven't updated Solomon as I'm waiting for the finish of the City of Brass adventure)
Casting Total: 23 (In) + 19 (Vi) + 2 (Sta) + 5 (Aura) + 4 (AL) + 3 (Phil) + 8 = 64 (two long-term fatigue levels)