Glamour Lessons (20 Nov 2001) Lady Raven teaches Thomas about fey enchantment.

Morning finds three kids trekking through the forest on a well worn trail, to a tree house so cleverly camouflaged that any casual hiker passing through would see nothing but leaves overhead. Simon and Elinor walk a little behind and to either side.

Or perhaps one should call Simon "Sir Lefallon" today, for he is being most serious as he carries a wooden box with slight decorations in which is nestled the prize of a recent quest. "I look forward to seeing Hawksmoor Keep again," he says. "I have not seen Mirari in many days, and that we reach even its farthest outpost will be a great salve to my soul."

A raven-haired young woman walks beside him, and she smiles gently at his comment. "Indeed. I miss my former home; being at the Keep will make me feel closer to it."

Indeed, the dark woods almost seem to open up to reveal the walls of the mighty Hawksmoor Keep, where the flag of the Golden Hawks flies bravely. Some of the men on the walls wave to the arriving travelers, their words inaudible at this distance.

Hawksmoor Keep
This fortress, built high in the giant trees for added protection, is located on the borders of the dark woods where the Jruuh and other wild, malevolent beasts roam. Looking over the hewn timber ramparts into the inky-black forest, it's easy to sense their malice. A handful of soldiers go about their business of manning the walls in chain mail, carrying spears. The flag of the Golden Hawks flies immediately beneath that of the arms of Mirari, a crowned unicorn rampant, from a pole at the center of the courtyard, next to the barracks and the armory and an open-air kitchen.

"Home is where you make it," the raven-haired explorer responds as he glances back at the other two. "Whether snug in a place you grew up or nestled in a dark cave waiting out a storm, home is really just a place in the mind." He grins and shrugs, adding, "But, I must admit I look forward to seeing it again as well. Plus, it gives us a comfortable place in which to prepare for the arduous journey ahead ... and time for me to learn a bit more about things I've long neglected."

Sir Lefallon looks curious. "What things are those, Lord Explorer? I would have thought this part of the country well tramped by your boots already."

"And I will do my best to assist you, my lord," the young woman replies, smiling. "I am no expert on the art of glamours, but I shall be able to refresh your memory on the basics, at least." They reach the base of the keep, beside the elevator.

The explorer removes his beret and runs his hand through his hair and looks upward. "And believe me, I appreciate it, Lady Raven. Often, I've just not thought about magic. My world is that of the wild ... but seeing that we are fighting magic now, I should finally accept my heritage, yes?"

Sir Lefallon shifts his grip on the foot-long box that he carries, a thing made of elaborately varnished woods. "Ah, glamourie! Do you think you have a gift for it then, milord?"

Thomas looks back down and over at Sir Lefallon. "All us fey possess the gift, but I've..." Thomas fidgets uncomfortably then continues, "... tended to deny the magic part of myself. I hope I have some gift for it. Being able to disguise myself on the journey West might just make it a successful journey this time ... or, perhaps not. Either way, it's time for me to quit being foolish and try to fight magic with stubbornness." He grins rakishly.

"Aye, I find the best defense against magic is to not be where it strikes," the young knight jests.

Tom laughs and steps into the elevator. "Well said, Sir Lefallon," he replies.

"Stubbornness is your greatest talent," Raven teases him. "Do not forsake it in all things, my lord. And Sir LeFallon's jest has truth to it, indeed." She follows him into the elevator.

"Yes, for getting me into trouble and yelled at," Thomas retorts playfully to Raven. He grins and leans against one of the elevator posts and says, "But in all seriousness, we need all the advantages we can get right now. This is just one more."

As all three board the elevator, and greetings are exchanged with the fortress's gatekeeper, he pulls a lever and sets into motion a system of complex counterweights and turning wheels. The elevator rises slowly but steadily into the tree-fortress, and there is a great hullabaloo of greetings from the Golden Hawks stationed there as they welcome their Lord Explorer home.

Sir Lefallon turns to the Lord Explorer. "With your permission, milord, I'd like to store this somewhere safe in the fortress. It may be some time before we ride again to Mirari, and I would like to have this worry removed from my shoulders for a time."

Thomas waves a hand in dismissal. "You need not ask me that, Sir Lefallon. Please, make yourself at home. I'm sure we can find a place to store it amongst the journals and items we have collected during our travels," he says, smiling, before turning to greet his fellow Explorers. "Oh, don't sound so happy," he says, feigning anger, "I just know you were all having a great time without me around to come up with more crazy ideas for the next trips." He pauses, then grins widely. "Okay, okay, it is great to see you all. Now, please, if you could find some quarters for our guests while we chat, I'd be very appreciative."

"Of course, sir," says the castellan of the fortress. He accepts the box from Sir Lefallon. A few words from the knight, however, causes him to nearly drop it, which turns both of them pale; after some quiet discussion, both of them walk off to store it safely among the treasures of Hawksmoor.

"Please tell me you didn't bring anything dangerous in that box -- or edible," Thomas teases Sir Lefallon.

"Aye, 'tis most dangerous," Sir Lefallon calls back cheerily. "And should you stick your hand in the box with impiety, I like not to think of what might happen!"

"Now, would I ever do anything like that?" comes the reply.

The young knight grins and follows the castellan into the depths of the fortress.

"Okay, so maybe I would," Thomas comments and turns to Lady Raven. "So, should we find a place of relative quiet? We can retire to the archives if you like," he says.

Lady Raven nods. "I think that would be wisest. We may wish to use your companions later to test the efficacy of whatever charms you work."

"Or lack thereof," Thomas says with a smile. "This way, then. The archives are toward the core, to protect them should the fortress ever be attacked. Now, I will warn you, it's usually a bit of, ah ... well ... a mess. Well, it was the last time I was here anyway. We always have new maps and charts to catalog, after all." He motions down one corridor, then proceeds to walk alongside Lady Raven, chatting pleasantly.

When they enter the room, Raven turns the knob on the lantern, illuminating the maps and journals scattered on a table and tucked away on shelves. "This will do well enough, I believe. If you are ready, Lord Thomas?"

Tom nods. "I am," Thomas says firmly. "Please, instruct me on how to properly create a glamour, Lady Raven." He takes a few steps away and leans back against the table and observes, listening.

"The first thing you should know, my lord, is where glamour springs from. Glamour comes from within the self; it is a force inside you that you can tap. Have you ever felt yourself gathering your courage, my lord? Screwing yourself up before giving a speech, or gathering your wits to confront an enemy?"

Thomas nods. "When I first began travelling, I often had to find the courage to step into the unknown. Over time, it became easier, and second nature to do so," he replies, "But, those first few times were indeed difficult. I always had to find a sort of calm within myself, and focus. After that, I could find the courage to do just about anything, really -- if that makes any sense?"

Raven nods soberly. "Indeed. Working glamour is much like that. It draws on the same force inside you, that calmness, that power. You focus it to what you want, and then you push it out, so that others can see it -- it takes a tangible shape according to your will."

Tom nods again and says, "All right. I presume it's best to work with shapes you are most familiar with? Perhaps people or animals you know? Am I remembering correctly in that it's also best to choose a shape close to your actual size?"

The woman nods. "In truth, however, it is best to start with something much simpler. The basics of glamour are not about appearance so much as perception. Rather than willing yourself to look a certain way, you ware willing others to perceive you in a certain light. You think 'I am beautiful' and the viewer will perceive you as beautiful. You think, 'I am powerful,' and the viewer will perceive you as powerful. They may think you a powerful swordsman, or a powerful giant, or whatever else impresses them in a being. It is easier for you to shape that impression in the mind -- that you are something great and fearsome -- than to shape a specific impression -- that you are a giant or a muscleman. Do you understand me?"

Tom nods. "I believe so. What you appear as is more shaped by the other, than by yourself. You only provide the ... power ... to make that perception seem a reality?" He runshis hand through his hair again. "So, in theory I could simply think of myself as unnoticeable and to another you may appear to blend in with the surroundings? Provided I find the power within myself to make it so, of course."

His instructor smiles, nodding again. "Exactly. Being inconspicuous is one of the easier things to do with glamour. But, be warned ... glamour can backfire, in the hands of the unskilled. Imagine it like a woman's makeup: a trained hand may use it to subtly enhance her looks. But an amateur who applies it sloppily will look like a clown, not a beauty. If you strain the limits of your knowledge and ability with glamour, you could well generate the opposite of your intended effect."

"Well, the worst that can happen right now is I makeyou laugh at me," Tom replies, good-naturedly. He shrugs and says, "Not that you haven't probably already. So, do you want me to try and visualize something simple, or am I probably rushing too far ahead?"

"There are a few things it may help you to know first, yes." She smiles. "There are five particular points on the body that are best attuned to the power of glamour." Raven gestures to herself for illustration. "At the wrists, here, the forehead, here, and two places on the torso, heart," she places her hand between her breasts, "and center." She indicates her abdomen, about where her center of gravity would be. The talk reminds Tom vaguely of some things Genji said when talking about martial arts, especially the center.

"Odd, that," Thomas replies. "In a way it sounds much like the places an instructor once told me to be mindful of in combat. How do these points aid me in doing a glamour?"

"If you focus on them, you can feel the power waiting, or gathering, inside you. The heart or the center is usually the strongest point." Raven takes a step towards the Lord Explorer, placing her palm against his chest. "Do you feel it?" she asks.

Tom starts slightly, a bit surprised. The moment passes and he takes in a slow breath. He looks at her, but his awareness doesn't focus on her. Instead, he pulls his concentration inward and breathes slowly, taking a moment to find that calm point he so often sought in his early days.

Raven takes her hand away, nodding in approval. "That's it. Feel it inside you. Now, imagine that force gathering in you. Feel it build. Don't try to shape it yet. Just focus on it being there, being a part of yourself."

The raven haired explorer rests lightly against the table, his hands resting on the edge, his arms limp. He listens, but doesn't reply. Slowly, he lets his eyes close to shut out the extraneous distractions and just focuses inward, on the calmness. He focuses on feeling that it's part of who he is, not thinking of it as something separate from himself.

"Good. Now, choose a focus for your power," Raven says. "Choose a feeling you wish to create in those who view you. Decide, now, how do you want to be seen. You must start simply, from one of these. Become handsome, or ugly. Impressive, or inconspicuous. Pick that which you desire those who view to feel, and focus your power on making it so."

Tom continues to breathe slowly and steadily. He takes some time, mulling over a perception he wants someone else to see him as. Finally, he selects something and fades back to the calmness and focuses on it, trying to shape it to make himself appear ... ordinary, someone who would probably not be noticed on the streets.

The oracle frowns in concentration, watching Thomas. She nods to herself after a moment. "You seek to be ordinary," she says. "You stand little chance of going unnoticed by me, I fear." She smiles. "Glamour works best on unwary mortals, and I am neither. I suggest you test your success upon those outside. See if Sir Lefallon notices -- or rather, does not notice -- you."

Tom opens his eyes, holding into that calmness. "Because you know what to look for, or because of something else?" he asks as he walks toward the doorway, his eyes locking on Lady Raven for a moment. When he reaches the door, he opens it and steps through.

"Because I know what thou art, Lord Explorer," Lady Raven says, almost to herself as he steps outside.

Thomas looks down the hallway for others to see if he can walk by without being noticed.

Outside, Sir Lefallon wanders through the encampment, apparently seeking his friends since he has successfully stowed his box. "Hast seen the Lord Explorer Thomas?" he asks of one of the bemused Golden Hawks, who points him toward the small wooden building which houses the archives.

Tom watches Lefallon walk through. Curious, he steps away from the doorway to mingle amongst the others. He continues to breathe slowly, holding onto the calmness and focusing on the way he wishes others to perceive him: simply as someone who don't stand out.

The young knight, with barely a glance toward Tom, as if noting another of the Golden Hawks, walks into the archives. His voice can be heard, though becoming increasingly distant as Tom mingles, "Milady? Hast thou seen..."

The apparently disguised Explorer huffs softly and heads back out of the crowd and toward the study door. As he reaches it, he releases the desire to blend in. With a glance back toward where Lefallon went, he steps into the archives. "Well," he says, "it appears to have been effective with Sir Lefallon. He didn't seem to notice me at all, even though he was looking for me."

Sir Lefallon looks startled. "I have been looking everywhere for you! The castellan said that our rooms were ready for our needs--" He puts two and two together, and raises an eyebrow. "A very quick study, milord!"

Thomas laughs. "Ah, so you went in here. I thought you went the other way. Sorry about that, but my test didn't seem to work with Lady Raven." He looks at Raven curiously. "So, does knowing someone more or less negate the effect? Or did you mean something more by saying you knew what I was?"

Lady Raven smiles. "Well done, my lord. Many a fey newly testing their glamour would have been as obvious as a thiefin a day-lit field." She claps, then bows her head to his question. "If your viewer knows that you are trying to deceive them, as I did, it is virtually impossible to succeed, no matter how skilled you are. If they have reason to be suspicious -- for example, had I warned Lefallon that you were trying to sneak around -- that will make them harder to fool. And the fey, who have the talent for glamour, are much more difficult to deceive than mortals."

The young knight grins wryly. "Indeed, that would have been a great aid to seeing through your glamour, Lord Explorer, but I trust you do not intend to warn your enemies in advance of your coming, and for that, it should serve you as a useful skill."

Thomas nods and says, "Of course not. The skill is to be used when we must traverse into the realm of the Years End. I am concerned that they would be able to see through it, but every possible advantage helps." He then grins toward Raven and replies, "And rest assured, I do not normally want to deceive you. I will have to continue to work with the skill, under your guidance Lady Raven, of course."

"Well, now that I know you're using glamour, I suspect I will not be a fit subject against whom you can test your skills," Sir Lefallon says with a laugh. "Perhaps I should walk outside, and then I will not know what glamour you will try next?"

"That would probably help, Sir Lefallon," the oracle remarks. "Though even so, I think you will prove a hard mark to fool."

The Lord Explorer laughs. "Perhaps, Sir Lefallon," he replies with a grin toward Lady Raven, "And it's a pity you could see through the disguise. Why, I can't make myself appear more handsome, then! The shame of it all!" He winks and laughs again. "Seriously, even if you went out, I'm not sure the effect would work as well. Although we could try it, I suppose. Might be a good test as to how effective I could be around those already suspicious."

The young knight chuckles. "I mislike thinking that I am so easy to fool with this business of glamorie, but perhaps Lord Explorer Thomas has found a natural talent. Very well, milord, milady, I shall strive to find some minor exercise, the better to put this out of my mind and be a better subject for your testing." He bows and walks out of the archives, back to the courtyard.

The prophetess watches Simon leave, a slight smile on her face, then turns to Thomas. "I am grateful that you cannot make me think you more handsome," she begins, as if to tease, but she doesn't continue with whatever thought she meant to close on -- instead, she drops her eyes, blushing, and asks, "What will you attempt next, Lord Thomas?"

Thomas walks back over to the table and resumes leaning against it. "It's rather an odd feeling, I must admit," Thomas says, "holding a calm power like that..." He pauses as Raven's words register and he grins. "In truth, I was teasing. I wouldn't try something like that on you. I'd rather you just see me as..." Now it's his turn to stop. He ahems softly and looks over to one of the stacks. "Perhaps trying to present a more imposing presence could be useful, in case I need to address the court again. Last time, well, I wasn't so convincing to them. It's not so much of an attempt to shape appearance, as change perception, after all."

Raven turns her head to watch the man as he moves. She joins him at the table, perching on the edge of one of the chairs. "I li-- yes. It is useful to be able to impress, though I would be not advise using glamour upon a noble court. Courtiers are suspicious of any kind of persuasion already, and if you use glamour to back your words -- well. It is all too easy for such an attempt to backfire."

"Point taken," Thomas replies, watching Raven move to one of the chairs. "I'll probably leave speaking to the court up to the Princess. I've never been one for courtly manners as it were," Thomas says, "and they never had much use for me. Too blunt." He looks thoughtful. "Still, such a use might come in useful on our journey, if we need to dissuade those who may wish us harm along the way to the Year's End." The Explorer again starts to steady his breathing and go back to the calm within.

The oracle nods, a little smile on her face as she watches him. Unconsciously, her breathing slows and evens out to match his, her hands clasped loosely before her and resting on the table.

Thomas's ears catch the sounds of Lady Raven's breathing slowing to match his, but it doesn't register. His attention remains inward, on that calmness at the center of his being. Slowly, he returns to that place, and focuses on it. After a time, he starts to try and shape that calmness, to present himself as slightly larger than life, more powerful.

Lady Raven straightens in her chair, shaking her head and looking at the Lord Explorer. She brushes a lock of loose hair back from her face, and says softly, "My lord?"

Thomas's green eyes flick open and he looks toward Lady Raven. "Yes, Lady Raven?" he says calmly, stepping away from the table.

Raven looks away for a moment, breathing in deeply, then back to him. "Well done," she tells him. "I think, this time, there is no chance that Simon will overlook you."

"Thank you for the praise. I think I shall go find him," he replies, smiling. "You are most welcome to come with me, if you like." The explorer starts toward the door, then adds, "I don't think he went far."

A shake of her head answers him. "No, my lord. Thank you, but I think it best that I remain here."

Thomas stops and looks back at her. He smiles. "I won't be long, then. I think this is enough for the day. I don't want to impose on you too much." He resumes toward the door. As he steps through, he looks back and says, "I owe you, Lady Raven -- for being a friend and for helping me. Thank you. If I can ever repay you, just ask." With that, he's gone. Moments later, a voice bellows, "Sir Lefallon!" as if a summons.

Outside, Sir Lefallon is hard at work beating up some poor straw men who never did anything, or rather, straw matting tied around wooden posts which make sturdy targets. He stops in mid-smite to look up ... and espies Lord Explorer Thomas. "What -- your Lordship!" He spins about in an attempt to render a kneel, but fumbles in the effort and winds up on his back looking up at the imperious Thomas. He says weakly, "Ah -- I beg your pardon, milord."

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