Decided Future/Luthier: Odd Wayfarer

Luthier: Odd Wayfarer - C

Luthier	So, this is the Great Library of Askr... Its size and scale are truly a sight to behold. How long would it take to read every volume in these halls I wonder? Decades, surely...
Ah! I almost forgot to get a book of bedtime stories for Fae!		Sophia
Saias	Now then, what will today’s rows have to offer? If I remember right, I left off somewhere around here...
The presence of patrons like these speaks volumes. Each is a powerful mage or scholar in their own right.		Luthier
Reinhardt	Excuse me, young man.
Gah! Wh-who are you?		Luthier
Reinhardt	Ah, please, forgive my rudeness... I do not believe we’ve been introduced to one another. I am Reinhardt of Friege. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
Oh. Right. I’m Luthier. I’m...a student of magic. It’s...nice to meet you too.		Luthier
Reinhardt	Luthier... I see. Miss Delthea made mention of your arrival. She speaks of you often. You may be interested to know that I have a younger sister who has aspirations of becoming a mage too.
Wait—Delthea speaks of me often? That troublemaker didn’t go and say anything embarrassing, I hope... I was just admiring the library. It’s like a treasure trove.		Luthier
Reinhardt	I daresay you are not the first mage summoned to Askr to feel that way. Nor the last, I suspect.
Does Delthea study here often?		Luthier
Reinhardt	Delthea’s talents lie in more... practical applications of her ability, if you understand my meaning. She seems able to learn more from a single battle than from an entire semester of classroom study.
Of course... She was never one to bury her nose in a book, no matter how I asked her to apply herself...		Luthier
Reinhardt	What works for one student may not always be suitable for another. We all learn in different ways. You may be surprised to discover just how far she has come during her time here.
Hm... So she’s gotten to you too...		Luthier

Luthier: Odd Wayfarer - B

Lute	No, I don’t think that’s quite right. According to this tome, we should be adding fresh water.
Hm... That just might work. All right, let’s backtrack and try again.		Lysithea
Luthier	I see the library is as lively as ever. Students of all kinds, some doing experiments, some simply reading.
There must be a clue to the mysteries of time shear in one of these musty tomes...		Knoll
Kliff	Hmm... One more thing nobody is going to believe when I get back home to my world.
Seems like all are free to get lost in the pleasure of reading for hours on end. Excellent... Just my kind of place! I’ll be able to focus without any annoying distra—		Luthier
Canas	Hello! Are you Delthea’s older brother, by chance?
Wah! Why are you sneaking around? You scared me half to death!		Luthier
Canas	Ah, forgive me. I’m Canas, dark mage by trade and fervent researcher of all things magical.
Dark mage, huh? Sorry, but I’d rather not associate with that sort of magic. If you don’t mind...		Luthier
Canas	I understand. It is only natural to fear those who do not themselves fear the unknown. And the discipline is known to have, shall we say...unique effects on those who make a study of it.
“Unique,” huh? And you’re trying to paint that as a good thing?		Luthier
Canas	Considering how excitable Delthea is, I did not expect that her older brother would be quite so grounded.
We share parents, but the similarities end there. And her attitude doesn’t help matters.		Luthier
Canas	Is that so?
I am decent mage in my own right, but my ability pales in comparison to hers. She’s aware of her gift and yet doesn’t bother to put any effort into developing it through study. The idea of her never reaching her true potential...is a source of endless frustration for me.		Luthier
Canas	Hm... I see...

Luthier: Odd Wayfarer - A

Canas	You are diligent indeed, Luthier. You may even spend more time in this library than I do!
Well, it’s not as if I have anywhere to go...		Luthier
Canas	Perhaps, perhaps... I’ve been meaning to ask you... You said your power paled in comparison to your sister’s... Yet the potential you displayed in the most recent skirmish cannot be denied.
Maybe... As siblings, we both inherited powerful mage blood. But the family’s magical gifts are expressed most strongly in the women, so... One is born with a certain capacity. If one cannot hear the spirits’ voices, one never will. No matter how hard I train, I can never hope to match the power she was born with in her blood.		Luthier
Canas	I see. A bloodline that strong may well have some beneficial effects on those who inherit it... It’s hard to argue against that given that so many Heroes here come from powerful bloodlines as well.
Of course. I’m not surprised.		Luthier
Canas	Have I ever told you that my three brothers and I inherited our magical aptitude from our mother? One of my older brothers should have been the one to continue perfecting her art, but... Well, let’s just say the task fell to the one most lacking in aptitude: me.
My interest is piqued... I would love to hear more of that story.		Luthier

Luthier: Odd Wayfarer - S

Canas	My brothers were dedicated to the study of elder—or dark—magic above all other things in life. They were eager to learn our family’s secrets and harness its power. Too eager, in fact. In the end, the dark forces they studied so fervently consumed their bodies and minds. They live and breathe...their eyes open and close... But they no longer move or speak.
I... I don’t know what to say... That’s truly awful...		Luthier
Canas	Innate aptitude is vital to harnessing elder magic, but above all else, one must be able to resist temptation. That said, I stand before you today not because of what I inherited from my mother... I am here because my wife was there to keep me grounded and provide me with perspective.
Huh... I hadn’t imagined you to be the type to put effort into finding a companion.		Luthier
Canas	...Pardon?
Huh? Oh! Nothing!		Luthier
Canas	Despite how I appear now, I may well succumb to darkness if I ever let my guard down. I have a thirst for knowledge, but I must be careful not to drink so deeply I drown myself.
So, you’re saying...it’s more about what you do with your gifts than how you got them?		Luthier
Canas	Exactly. Self-control and strength of will are the domain of the mind, not the blood. Your purpose may well be to help others harness their power before you focus on your own.
Others like Delthea, you mean? Young as she may be, she, too, once fell prey to darkness—to a sinister brainwashing. She emerged unscathed, but I’ve been trying to teach her to avoid the same thing happening again. But perhaps I taught her the wrong lesson in the process. Maybe I should have pushed her less as a mage and supported her more as a sister.		Luthier
Canas	It’s never too late to start. Surely your reunion here in Askr presents a golden opportunity...
You may be right. Thank you, Canas. Your counsel has been enlightening. I haven’t been in Askr long, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect of people here. Back home, I only really counted the village strays and Alm among my friends... Would you mind if...I call you a friend too?		Luthier
Canas	I would be honored, Luthier.
R-really? That’s great! Yes! Er, I mean...happy to hear it. I was a little uneasy when I first arrived, but everything seems to have worked out. From now on, Delthea is my little sister first and our family’s legacy second. That, I can promise you.		Luthier

Scenario
← Kamui		Palla →
Decided Future
Palla	Luthier	Tatiana	Zeke

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