The Avethian Temple: Power of the Sky

Back and forth, Rowen paced back and forth in front of the temple. After his first escapade in the temple Rowan had returned to Koiroko with the tablet in hand, much to Donkor’s surprise. He’d gathered supplies, bought this time with Donkor’s backing, set up a pulley system to carry them up to the top of the temple, and now he had a campsite setup just outside the temple entrance. The problem was how he planned on going forward.

Despite Koiroko being one of the most sophisticated and prosperous cities in the Kingdom of the Shifting Sands they had absolutely such apparatus to protect anyone from the toxic gases in the temple. Donkor had suggested hiring an Aeromancer to disperse the gas. Rowen declined; this was his quest alone. Still, he was currently at a stopgap. He needed to find something in the temple if he was going to payback Donkor and the tablet he found wasn’t going to cut it.

Rowen returned to his tent and laid down on the blankets next to the Aeromancy tome he’d brought with him, and his notebook filled with advice from the local Aeromancer. The plan seemed simple enough; teach himself Sky spells and clear the gas himself. It should work, after all its been said that Avethians were masters of Aeromancy able to summon tornados and quell storms. So why had Rowen been unable to conjure up so much as a simple breeze?

Rowen pushed his books aside, perhaps the problem was his lack of wings? After all, what’s a bird without wings to fly with? No wonder the sky wouldn’t answer his calls. Perhaps it was best to go back, apologize to Mr. Donkor for wasting his money, and try returning to merchant work with Soren to pay Donkor back. Soren would be furious, his brother always had a short temper whenever Rowen messed up. If Soren were here, he’d be snaping at him to try again and get it right.

Soren and mother. Rowen had left them behind to go on this quest, they were an entire country away and he had nothing to show for leaving them. Rowen sat up and took hold of his books, placing the Aeromancy tome open in front of him and flipping through his notebook. He’d get it right, it’d only been two days since he’d started practicing after all, he’d find a way to make this right.

First spell in the tome, a simple gust of wind. The advice in his notebook; ‘beginners should practice with naturally occurring wind first. Feel the flow of the wind, absorb the flow, become part of the flow, and then release it.’ Rowen still hadn’t quite grasped what any of it meant yet. At the least he wasn’t going to figure it out inside his tent, not any wind here.

Rowen stepped outside just as a breeze slid softly against his feathered face. He’d take hold of that breeze. The owl stood against the wind and held out his hand as the wind slid against him, feeling the wind and absorb the flow. Become part of the flow… well it was certainly where he stood. Now release. Rowan raised out his hand willing the wind to follow his command. The wind stopped. Then it continued to blow like nothing was happening.

Another failure. What was he doing wrong exactly? It had to be something involving becoming part of the flow but Rowen still had no idea what that meant. He had to be able to figure it out somehow, after all mages of the past did this without any guides but nature itself. Rowen was back to pacing about when something caught his eye. The tent, he’d forgotten to tie the door flap down and now it was fluttering in the breeze. It’s fluttering in the breeze, Rowen thought, it’s part of the flow. Fluttering to and through where the wind takes it. Rowen hurried back in his tent to grab something.

Rowen came out of his tent with his cloak, he had an idea but he needed stronger winds to do it. Seeing as one of the pillars was missing an owl statue Rowen decided he’d take its place for a little while. Rowen climbed to the top of the pillar, the wind bellows stronger, and held out his cloak to the flow of the wind letting it flutter in the breeze. Rowen felt the wind as it whooshed past him and through the cloak, wind pattered against his cloak the piece of cloth absorbing the impact, the cloak flowed where the wind flowed it was part of it. Rowen commanded the wind that he held in his hands and gave it a wave. A mighty gust, unlike that of the breeze he’d felt before burst forth from around the cloak pushing Rowen back.

Rowen was slipping, just barley holding onto the edge of the pillar with his feet talons and laughing pure joy. He’d done it. He’d become part of the wind, the sky, and cast a spell to transform it into something greater. He’d try again and this time he’d do it with just his hands, he’d do it all day if it meant he could master the sky sooner. He had only a week’s worth of supplies left, over packing he knew, and still a whole temple to explore after all.