PART 1: into the future

The last three lunar cycles had been an absolute whirlwind, and Fallsenia felt like she wasn’t keeping up.  To be fair, an entire year’s worth of classes had been crammed into two and a half cycles for her, since Oberon had deemed her education in Creation magic to be a priority.  And the last two weeks had been spent learning all that she could of the different realms and how they interacted with each other.  There was still quite a bit there to learn, but for now Fallsenia had realized that she had her fill of books.  At least for a few days.  

Plus there was the matter of her workshop.  Arvin had dropped by a few days before, maybe it was actually a whole week, to let her know that room had been made for the fairy to begin her own work.  It was something she had learned in the first week of Creation magic lessons, that workshops were deeply personal spaces, and each were wholly unique to each person.  With a flick of her wrist, she cast the messenger spell to find her sprite friend.  Stepping outside, Fallsenia squinted up at the moon, trying to decide just how much time had passed.  Maybe it was three weeks since her classes had paused.

Sitting on one of the communal benches, she relaxed for a minute and closed her eyes.  Just a minute.  The next thing she knew, nearly an hour had passed by the change in the light, and Arvin was shaking her arm with a grin. “Sorry it took so long, but I think you’re going to enjoy this,” he said, words rushing out like a rain swollen creek.  He normally talked fast, but there was more excitement than usual in his voice.  Fallsenia stretched, then got to her feet with a quiet groan.  Clearly she had not been moving around enough.  “Lead on, my friend.  I don’t think that I can stand to look at another book for a few days,” the acorn fairy said with a tired chuckle.  Hopefully the trip to her new workshop would be just the thing.

The walk wasn’t far, but Fallsenia found herself feeling better after the short trip.  Perhaps it wasn’t a bad idea to incorporate some stretches into her study routine.  Most of the apprentice workshops were located behind the guild halls, and had various protective wards written onto the walls and roof to ensure as much safety as possible.  The building that Arvin led her to was built of pale sandstone bricks with round windows on most of the walls.  The only wall without windows had a chimney, and Fallsenia felt herself getting excited.  A chimney meant a forge of some kind, and she had been looking into metallurgy.  There had been an idea forming in the back of her mind at idle moments, and the workshop would help bring that idea into reality.  

Stepping through the door that the sprite opened, Fallsenia felt her mouth dropping open in surprise.  It was perfect!  Shelves lined the walls, some of her books already placed on them.  There was also a window shelf with a number of plants growing in pots, and she knew those could be used in different kinds of enchanting magics.  There was also an anvil, rows of tools meant for delicate metal-work, and even some lapidary tools for gemstones.  But the most fascinating part was the forge itself.  Fallsenia could see the runes written around it, and read the words aloud.  “Forge Create Jae Da… oh, the forge-maker’s name,” she said, realization dawning.  “Oh… this is an elemental forge?  I thought those weren’t for apprentice work…” she added, her voice trailing off.  Her mind was whirling again with possibilities, when a deep rumble of laughter startled her.

Her uncle stepped into the shop, a rare grin on his face.  “Well, to be fair, you are not like most apprentices, niece.  Being part of the royal family, you have quite a bit of potential.  And while it might not be in combat magics, having a Creation mage in the family again could be very helpful.  Now, tell me what you’ve learned about elemental forges,” Oberon said, arms crossed while he waited.  Being put on the spot wasn’t her favorite thing in the planes, but Fallsenia also didn’t want to disappoint her uncle.  

“From what I’ve learned, elemental forges are used to imbue items with certain energies.  Water is typically used for healing, but fire and earth can be used as well.  Air for travel, earth for growth and defense, and so on.  The forge itself will change color, depending on what energy is fed through it.  If I wanted to make… for example a magickal circlet that stores fireballs, I would mainly use fire magic.  Not only to feed the spell going into the artifact, but to shape the metal as well,” she said, recalling different pieces of lessons and putting them into a whole answer.  Her uncle nodded, pleased with what she had learned in such a short time.  “Good.  Now, I have other matters to attend to, but I will leave you with this.  Don’t be afraid to experiment, to be bold, but always keep yourself anchored to the here and now”.