Knowledge of the Past

Go back with me for a moment to ancient Alexandria, the location of a great repository of the knowledge of the old world. Imagine within the halls of this great building a large room. In the center of this room a table of wood. Upon the table there is a scroll laid out. The room is only partially lit by the moonlight shining through the windows, and the rest is illuminated by the torch placed at a decent distance from the delicate wood and parchment. A pale figure is bent over the scroll, not reading but writing with maticulous care. Another man comes into the room and lays his hand on the shoulder of the writer. "Pleiadies," he says, "Please, come away. You must have something to drink and then away to sleep." The pale one shakes his head, causing his long, slightly unkempt hair to wave across his writing. "No, Veramus," Pleiadies replies, "Tonight's work is tantamount." Pulling himself away from the table, the pale man finally reveals what it was he was working on. Veramus staggers back as he glimpses the single symbol etched on the paper...Pleiadies lunges for the torch and hurls it at the table. Veramus dives to intercept, but the torch hits the scroll and the entire room bursts into flames. Pleiadies might have been seen fleeing along with all the others in the library, but was never seen by the librarians, those that survived, again.

Present Day: The library still exists, hidden away. The magic of one symbol kept it hidden away, all its knowledge preserved. The same magic allows for "doorways" all over the Earth that lead to the famed Library of Alexandria where the secrets of a world long gone still exist to be used by any who may but stumble upon one of the doorways. The magic allows those with the power over dark magic to actively seek these gateways.

ooc// Before you say anything, I know it's long and you asked me not to do long, but I felt the topic needed some introducing. I couldn't very well just say, "LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA". Okay, I could have, but where would that leave me?

Alright, I'm done.

--Hey, woah, stop there, matey. That ISN'T long. Look at the first post of 'A Bad Omen...' in 'Cities' and you'll see what I mean. Hm... I guess you are introducing a location, am I right? But, what about your character? What is he presently doing? Did the library just burn and got 'sealed' away? What happened next, concerning your character and this lirbrary? I can't really reply until you have answered those questions, unless I'm wrong.
But good work nonetheless.--

ooc// Aha! But that is the grand question, isn't it? What are the real connections? Since I'm not in an entirely evil mood, I shall elaborate (Darn my socks, I know I spelled that wrong). Diaes is, by nature, in search of information. Where better to find information than the hub of all knowledge that the ancient world had to give, including magic and things of a nature long forgotten...? Anyway, Diaes imortalized the library in order that he might privately study its contents. However, when he wrote the spell that would bind it forever, he didn't realize that he would leave gates at random places around the world that any dark magician could not only see but manipulate at will, he was still a farely rough hand at large magics at the time. Now, he uses it as his headquarters and perhaps more importantly as a trap for those who possess dark magic. Specifically, right now, he is in the main room, a huge atrium to which the doorways lead. He is hunched over another book this time over another table, but with a much different intent.

And by the way, if I'm allowed to go longer, then I will. I just wasn't sure after your previous warning about how large I was...supposed to shoot for.

Final note: I love the Val Keshra avatar!

--Ahh, I didn't know that. Okay. (BTW, you spelled 'Elaborate' correctly.) Well then, I shall reply to this. I'll have some fun >:lD
You like the avatar? Thanks! 100% Custom sprited and animated Val keshra Intunosis character in IUNE style by me. If ya' want, I can do one for you too.--

Vladimir opened his eyes. 'Mhh?' He uttered, lifting his head slowly from the wooden table. He yawned, cracking his jaws, streched his arms, and looked around. Where was he? He saw books. Lots of books. A Library, of course, but which one? Nobody was here. How did he get in here, anyways?
Vladimir was sleepy, and his mind didn't work properly when he was sleepy. He slowly stood up. What surprised him most is that he noticed the title of the book he was sleeping on. 'Light artefacts,' it wrote. 'Hm?'
Vladimir took the book within one hand, and opened it. It wasn't dusty, or anything. It looked just like a normal book. The writing was small, and there were pictures on the side of each page. Vladimir flicked through it, finding no interest whatsoever in the present book. He put it down on the able again, and looked around. Was he really alone here? No. He noticed a man, not far away. Vladimir began to approach the man, his footsteps echoing through the library.

Shaeman appeared in the library silently, a boy next to him. The boy was gripping Shaeman's arm with a viper's grip, his eyes squeezed shut. Shaeman prised the boy off, speaking quietly.
"Now, you can contact me with the pendant. Go off and find something to read while I do my research, ok Cika?"
"Yes Shaeman."

Vladimir heard a voice coming from his side. He looked around, and saw a silver-haired man accompanied with a young boy. Vladimir approached the small group, his footsteps echoing through the library. Once he had reached the two, Vladimir asked, questioningly (?), 'Eh, excuse me, but do you know where this place is? And what is it, exactly?'

- Cika is a boy... -

"This is the library..." Shaeman said, wondering how this strange man could have arrived here without knowing where he was.

--Edited, sorry, I was just too lazy to go check xD--

'Just,' Vladimir answered, 'Just any library? Wouldn't there be more people?' Vladimir looked around. Tall cases of books stood in perfect rows. Why was he here? Had he been searching for something before? Before what?

"The Library of Alexandria." Shaeman said. "Do you not know where you are?"
Cika pulled gently on Shaeman's sleeve, and murmured something into his ear.
"Yes, Cika, you may go." Shaeman said, and smiled as the boy walked off quickly.

Diaes took as little notice as he could manage of the guests who had currently wandered into his library. The diary on which he was working must absolutely be finished before midnight. Why so many spells relied on midnight, he didn't know, but it was realy beginning to peave him. The pen in the pale hand jotted and danced all across the last page of the small tome that sat rather conspicuously before Diaes on the table. It was when he noticed that the newcomer had brought with him a young boy that the nosferatu's attention was finally drawn away from his work. he looked up ever so slightly now from beneath his dark bangs to pear at the child who was just dashing off. No child had been in the library for...oh it must have been about four-hundred years. That was a development. perhaps these people were worth botheration after all...

'Er,' Vladimir began, 'Well, let's just say I just woke up here. I can't remember anything before that.'
Library of Alexandria, hm? I don't know where this place is, and I've never been here, yet, it seems so... familiar.
Vladimir looked up at the huge rows of tomes and books. This place was gigantic. Vladimir glanced around. The book. Maybe it'll say.
Vladimir went to his previous table, his footsteps sounding like droplets of water dripping down into a puddle in a dark cave. When he arrived, he noticed the book where he had last looked at it. He opened it at the first page, expecting a summary.
Light artefacts.
Those were words that caught his attention. Page 124.
Vladimir flipped through the pages, and got up to the certain page. He noticed that it was the page he had been sleeping on, as he remembered the images. He started reading the small text, hoping to find an answer for what he was looking for before.

Shaeman nodded.
"Just tell me if you need help." Shaeman said, bowing slightly. He left to look at a shelf not far away, browsing. He picked out a heavy tome, and began skimming through it.

Vladimir couldn't understand a thing. He was reading English text, yes, but he didn't know why the page was open on the artefact that was known to revive angels.
Normally, Vladimir thought, Angels are already dead, aren't they? Since they're angels, right? Or could you die a second time? Scary thought.

Shaeman came and sat at the table, his own book open as he scowered the pages of an old prophecy.

--I think we should wait for Whilaroo here, as I don't know what to post now without it being utterly useless.--

- Ok -

ooc// Excuse my utter tardiness.

bic// Diaes picked up the little diary and dropped it into one of the pockets of his ever-so-large coat before he began moving towards this newcomer. He quickly scrutinized the man who had brought the child, raking his eyes over the red cloak, but moved his gaze with equal speed towards the other figure, who obviously had no clue as to what he was doing. Sliding up to him, Diaes saw the book at which he looked and a small, tight-lipped smile spread across his face that showed his upper teeth ever so slightly. "This is perhaps your first time in our grand library?" he asked with just a hint of amusement tinging his voice.

Shaeman looked up from his book on prophecies.
"And you would be..." He asked quietly, remembering that he was, after all, in a library.

Diaes looked up slowly. "Ah, yes..." his voice was smooth. The stare which he used to observe the face of the red cloaked one was intense, that is if you didn't account for the harshness of it. "I am the caretaker of this place," barely above a whisper his voice contained something of death in it, "Please, forgive my unkindness, I have recently returned from unsuccesful business and am rather agitated at present. My name is Yaega, bt you may call me Diaes if it so pleases you as I answer to both titles. You are Mercian, unless I am mistaken?" He cocked his head ever so slightly with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Shaeman Mercian." The half-demon replied, fisting his hand over his heart and bowing shortly in a respectful greeting. "You need not seek forgiveness for I understand." Somewhere in the back of his mind, Shaeman wondered why he was suddenly reverting to the way he spoke before discovering what modern language was.

"This is good, for understanding may breed, at the very least, empathy, and I pray that empathy might be the begining of friendship," Diaes wore a look most heartfelt, or it would have been on anyone else. Indicating the open tome before Shaeman with a nod of his head, Diaes lightly prodded the question, "You and your young friend have come looking for prophecy? Excuse me, but I was curious that you located the book so quickly and without aid. Surely, you have been here before?"

Vladimir looked up at the man who just spoke to him. It was a man, about in his thirties, Vladimir thought.
'Er,' Vladimir began, 'Well, I have to say, that... It is my first time here, except I... I can recognize this place, like if I've already been here.'
Vladimir, with one swoop of his hand, closed the tome, allowing the golden title to shine upon the light. 'This was the book I was...' Vladimir continued, 'Well, that I woke up on. And I can't seem to remember how, when, or why I came here, but it must have been something with this book.'
Vladimir looked up at the man, hoping an explained answer.

--Okay, guys. I'm going to be gone for at least 4 days (Spring Break.). So, don't worry if I don't post in a while, I haven't forgotten about this topic yet.--

Shaeman nodded to Diaes.
"I have indeed visited this library before, and I knew the book that I needed. Therefore I could locate the book easily."

Diaes raised his hand, indicating patience on the part of Shaeman for a moment as he glanced quickly at the particular volume that the angelic young man had pointed out. The snarl that crept onto the sharp face lasted only a second before vanishing into a thin smile of demonic proportions. "Artefacts of the nature most Holy?" he said, the words sliding out of his mouth like water dribbling through a dry streambed, "These things are, to me, not so foreign. Open the book once more to the page which is giving you vexation and I shall attempt to interpret."

Leaving the man to work through the old manual, Diaes turned once again to Shaeman. "Forgive me, being the last remaining caretaker, I find it tantamount that I should see to the needs of all those who would enter within mine domain," he shook his head slightly, "Now, as to our conversation, I thought you might have some experience here. It is of interest to me, though, to know which portal you and your young friend used to access this grand home of mine? Perhaps it was the one in the House of Parliment, or the one in the Palace of Versailles?"