Philosopher's Quest: The Hex

Lord Frederigo: son of the Duke of Suffex in the Kingdom of Allaria – a knight, well-mannered, comissioned by his King to kill the Dragon of the Southern Caves and now on a mission for that same Dragon under threat of death or worse; currently needing to kidnap a Philosopher but also needing a "disguise" for his fighting companion; just call him Fred.

Velus: an Allarian teenager from a village along the Shreken Mountains, kidnapped by the Dragon his form was magically transformed into that of a small dog; he’d love nothing better than to see the Dragon dead but can’t do much to make that happen, for the time being he’s enjoying his travels, which have included dank caves, the moon, and Astra’s lap.

Astra: warrior princess from Aqualaria, cursed by the ex-fiance of her arranged marriage, unable to wear clothes, and daughter to a family who would rather see her dead than walking nude in the streets of their dominion; also working for the Dragon and hoping to break the spell over her; as to a temporary fix, Astra was currently making a deal with an illusionist.

Ambaric: mage trained in the non-violent sorcerous artes, likes to travel but worries a bit over brigands and bandits.

The Southern Dragon: also called Minestus; seven hundred years ago he was a human known as Lucieno, a sorcerer from the land of Gana; he had found a tome of great power within the Grand Library of Voire (long-wrecked capital of the Great Kingdom) and he used it to transform himself in the form of a dragon. Not being able to return to Gana, he found a new home in an abandoned dragon’s cave -- today called, by the Allarians, the Southern Cave. Unlike most natural dragons he began to control the wild magic within him and has spent these hundreds of years on various quests of knowledge, including of such esoteric subjects as “History,” “Spring Fever,” and the “Soul.”

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“…I promise,” said Ambaric.

“I suppose not,” said Fred somewhat noncommitantly. Fred knew that the Dragon had not given them a precise deadline, but he also did not doubt the Dragon would expect them to return with their victim reasonably promptly.

"So will you need to renew the illusion every thirty minutes?" Astra asked. "That doesn't sound very practical."

"That doesn’t sound practical,” answered Ambaric. “But I plan on fingering a different spell which will be much longer lasting. It only affects the eyes, though, so don't let anyone touch you or they will feel bare skin. Casting this hex will require a considerable amount of energy on my part, so I feel it only right that I should receive something in return."

"So just how long will this spell last," Astra asked.

"I can't be precise, at least for a few days. The magicks will take me the best part of an hour to gather, another hour for the illusion to be complete. You and I will be involved together, I with the incantations and gestures, and you with gestures and movements, culminating in you walking through a cloud of incense. We will therefore need to do it somewhere private, if we aren't to attract unwelcome attention."

"A couple of rooms are being got ready for us. I'm hoping to have a bath, so perhaps you could do it in my room after that?"

"Very well. I'll come up in twenty minutes, you had best be ready."

Less than thirty minutes later, Ambaric stood in her room, as did Fred. Fred was worried. He didn’t worry for Astra overly much, she had made her deal with this mage, after all. He worried over the consequences and how they would affect him. He didn’t care for magic, he bore with it only because it was a part of the world in which he lived. He was used to mages being very carefully controlled but understood that too many dabblers could be found in too many shadowy alleys. He gripped his sword in case it was needed, regardless of the consequences of this day, he planned on leaving this room and this inn very much alive.

The hexing began with a lighted candle of wax more crimson than ox's blood. After much time and movement by both Ambaric and Astra, hips swaying, hands flailing, and the mage's fingers gesturing the tiniest of symbols, Ambaric said to Fred: "It is time to burn and make the incense. I must ask you to leave the room, Lord Frederigo, since if any was to touch your person you could be affected."

Fred grunted, he was suspicious. It was Astra who said: "Go on. What does your being here achieve? You can wait just outside the door if you like."

"No," Fred said stubbornly.

"I didn't want to have to do this," Ambaric said. He gestured at Fred, who immediately slumped to the floor. "Don't worry," Ambaric told Astra. "He's just deeply asleep. He'll come round shortly. I'll just drape a sheet over him, to avoid the risk of his coming into contact with the incense, and then we can proceed."

Over an hour later Fred came round. The first thing that he saw was Astra looking down at him.

1. Fred jumped to his feet, angry as all can be...
2. "Oh, Fred," said Astra. "I shouldn't have trusted..."
3. A cough alerted Fred to the form of Ambaric to his left, sitting on a chair, holding a pipe, and exhaling smoke rings through his nostrils...

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