knight quest: research

Saiph had a natural interest and affinity for spellcasting since he was a young Moxyn. When he enrolled in the Lullay Knights training program, he was given access to the knights’ library of restorative spells and potion recipes. He dove into his studies with great enthusiasm, not out of a desire to become the best Lullay Knight, but simply because he wanted to expand his repertoire. 

Early on in his studies, his magic was classified as the Astral element, which lent his spells a beautiful ethereal effect. He was pleased with this, as it matched his personal aesthetic. However, he wasn’t satisfied with just one type of magic. Seeing other Knights wield different elements made him feel a deep sense of longing. He also wanted to summon great gusts of wind or channel magic into fancy fireworks. How could he overcome his physical limitations (in a safe way, of course)? This question drove him to study tomes that were outside of his assigned materials in search of an answer.

After asking around, he concluded that the answer was to search outside of Lunerest itself. The existence of other dimensions was no secret, but traveling there was much harder than visiting a different town like Moonreach or Valorise. He would not be able to journey out of Lunerest until he was a fully fledged knight and sufficiently prepared for the dangers. Tucking that idea away in the back of his mind, he devoted himself to studying magical theory and mastering his Lullay Knight skills instead.

One day, he hit upon the idea of making a magical converter attached to a staff. Many xyns used spellcasting aids to help them channel their breath magic, and Saiph was also issued a staff as part of his knight toolkit. He remembered that certain types of gemstones could hold magical energy much more effectively than others – they were like ‘batteries’, items found in a certain other world that contained lots of lightning. These gems were often affixed to the staffs of elderly mages to provide an extra source of power. Surely, if he could create a device that converted one type of elemental mana to another, and attached a storage gem to that device… he could use it to cast something other than Astral magic. It was an idea with potential.

Thus began Saiph’s quest to build a multi-elemental catalytic staff. He dedicated himself to his studies during training hours, spending most of his break time in the library researching materials or in the workshop trying out different combinations of materials. Other trainee knights took a passing interest in his work, but only his best friend was as invested in his project as he was. He encountered many failures in search of the perfect material combination – countless charred staff casings, many shattered storage gems (which took out a good chunk of his trainee knight pay), and the occasional explosion that resulted in him cleaning up the workshop as part of his detention. But he would not be deterred. He would realize his dream of being a multicaster, no matter how difficult the journey became.

First, he succeeded in creating a fire catalytic staff. Then, he figured out how to make a different converter for water elemental magic. As the years went by, he slowly modified his equipment and inched closer to his dream. Yet the frontiers of magic seemed to expand with each new discovery – there truly was no end to his research and experimentation.