Profiles in Magic, Volume 11 (book)

Demosel Dez'Madielle: Fateweaving, She Wrote

Preface:

Heritage Monographs, the official press of the Moon Mage Guild, is proud to present the eleventh volume in the Profiles in Magic series. The information within has been researched carefully through personal interviews as well as constant delving through the most ancient of books, and finally compiled by a dedicated staff of scholars and Guild representatives to provide the highest quality of information for readers everywhere.

This volume of the series covers the life of Demosel Dez'Madielle, a modern pioneer of the Fortune's Path. This remarkable woman has shown exceptional talents in illusion, spell research, storytelling, enchanting, alchemy, and even the trade of a merchant. A tragic past led her to greatness that will hold her name in the annals of the Moon Mage Guild as long as it lives.

Chapter One: Demosel's Early Life

The great Weaver of Fate had humble, even tragic beginnings. Demosel Dez'Madielle as born in the city of Leth Deriel some hundred years after the Victory of Lanival. Her mother was a Human named Cetai Manus, a baker that had come to the city a few years prior. Cetai's father was a miner who grew ill after a lifetime of the work, so Cetai had been forced to take care of him in his elder years. After their home burned down, there was nothing left for her in the north, so she traveled south across the Segoltha to Leth Deriel. The skilled young woman managed to secure a position at one of the city's finest outdoor eateries. It was there that she met Demosel's father, Thornton Dez'Plecha, an unfortunate soul who had been forced into the position of Mayor of Leth Deriel.

This was unfortunate for, in the custom of Leth Deriel, the Mayorship was generally looked down upon with disdain and scorn. Though talented, Demosel's father gained little respect for the work he did as Mayor. Cetai, a Human, put no stock in such things, though, and soon enough the two of them had wed. Demosel was born, and shortly after, Andraethu -- both Human.

Unfortunately, it was a hard life for both Demosel and Andraethu, her brother. Their family had little money, and what's more, they were disliked by many of the other citizens of the city. Other children, pure Elven children, proved to be especially cruel to the Humans. Demosel and Andraethu were mocked, teased, and tormented. Because of the situation they were in, the siblings grew especially close, for in their minds, it was them against everyone else.

When Demosel was eight and Andraethu seven, their mother got pregnant again. Unfortunately, her condition took a turn for the worse -- both mother and child died during the birthing, despite the midwife's best efforts. While she gasped her last breaths, Cetai pressed into the hands of her eldest child a small talisman, which she said would ward off evil. Demosel knew the talisman, for her mother had never taken it off; it had been found by her grandfather in his mining days.

The lives of the children became even worse, then. Their mother had been their friend and protector within the Elven society, and now they were left alone with their father in a city that was not overly fond of them. And their father soon realized that. Thornton had supported the two children before due to his love of Cetai, but after her death, he became an Elven man already near-outcast, raising two Human children.

The Mayor quickly took to drinking to ease the pain of his wife's death, and he became abusive -- he frequently ended his stressful days at Sana'ati Dyaus Drui'tas with an evening of beating Andraethu. If it was Demosel and Andraethu alone against the rest of the world before, it was even more the case now. Bathed in tears of her own, she would hold her younger brother to comfort him after Thornton had passed out for the evening. Young Andraethu, who had been very attached to his mother, grew more and more depressed in the year since Cetai's death, breaking down under the tormenting of the Elven children and the beatings of his own father. And so, determined to fill her mother's role and protect her younger sibling, the two began to plot to flee Leth Deriel to the Human lands in the north.

Their chance came one night, around a month later. After a particularly hard day of work (and drink), Thornton passed out the instant he returned home. Stepping around his near-comatose body, they packed of their things what they could carry along with enough supplies and food to reach Alfren's, and quickly fled into the dark night. Demosel stared dejectedly around her as they ran... for all that had happened to her here, Leth Deriel was her beautiful home, and she did love it.

Demosel and Andraethu became separated at one point, near the E'erdream Bower Gate, when Andraethu suddenly recalled he had left something important back at their house. He told his big sister to wait for him, and he ran back to the heart of the city.

Demosel waited and waited and waited, but Andraethu never returned. Growing worried, she walked back through the E'erdream Bower Gate, intent on searching for him. But near the Kilth Aldiyaus, a unit of Elven wardens spotted her and called out to arrest the girl. In terror, she began running. That was when she felt the pain -- a warden had fired an arrow at her, and it now stuck through her shoulder.

The young girl screamed in pain before she bit down her tongue and kept running. Demosel reached the gate in the northeast section of the city again, and she ran through, not knowing what had become of her brother. She kept running, with Elven wardens pursuing her, but Demosel (even in her injured state) was given speed by her fear, and perhaps by the gods themselves through her good luck charm.

In the woods outside the city gates, Demosel quickly found a tiny hole, which she squeezed into. After a few hours of pursuit with no results, the Elven wardens of the city gave up hope of finding her that day (it was now dawn), and returned to Leth Deriel. So Demosel crawled out of her hole and began running again through Bosque Deriel. In the excitement of the evening's escape, she had lost her sack, containing her personal belongings and the food, and now her anxiety over her missing brother and her fear were joined by a sense of hopelessness -- she didn't know why the guards had sought her, and she didn't know how she'd reach Zoluren.

Unfortunately for the young girl, those were the least of her concerns. Not twenty minutes past dawn, Demosel Dez'Plecha collapsed, unconscious, from her injury.

Demosel woke later with a jolt. She was aboard a wagon, and the ride was regrettably quite bumpy. The girl was covered in dirt, and her leg throbbed painfully from her wound (though the arrow was now missing). She was hungry, to boot. Rubbing her eyes awake, she called out, "Andraethu? Brother! Where are you? Where am I?!"

"Be at peace," came the voice of a man from somewhere. Demosel quickly searched the room, seeing nothing, until an elderly man stepped from the shadows at the rear of the wagon. "What's your name, little one? We found you this morning, sprawled out on the ground, half-dead."

Demosel hesitated a moment before giving her name, and finding out the name of the elder -- Carnovasch. Carno, for short. She learned that she was amongst a troupe of the Follower's of the Fortune Path, a sect of gypsies affiliated with the Moon Mage Guild. They had found her in Bosque Deriel and removed the arrow, applying a poultice to her shoulder to stop infection from spreading.

Carno gave Demosel some fruit and bread, which she eagerly ate. The man began to tell her about himself and his life, and the lives of the Followers. It was a difficult life, Carno related to her, lacking the luxuries and amenities of the cities. The gypsies rarely stayed in one place for long periods of time. They had a wanderlust which kept them traveling from one place to the next... a zest for life and all it had to offer, an urge to explore and see every minutiae of the world. Their people believed in walking the Path of Fortune, as they called it, and studying the Web of Fate -- a life that was often dangerous, but at the same time, exhilarating.

As Demosel listened to Carno talk, she was enraptured by his tales, and forgot all about her troubles for the time -- her wounds, her trepidation, her missing brother. He told her of the Deriel troupe of the Followers, one of the most prominent and largest, that traveled about Bosque Deriel... Trelda's Faerie Ring was their most frequent campsite, and they traveled to the Mirror Lake and the mystic island Ailaeteorn, before journeying across the Segoltha to the Wind Elf plains, and back again.

When he was done with his story, Carno asked Demosel about her life, and she told him everything, ending with the tale about how she had run away with her brother.

Demosel remained with the Followers as they slowly journeyed around the forest city. Each night they would make camp, build cookfires with which to make their evening meals, then sit around the fires singing, dancing, making music, and telling stories. The girl loved those days she spent with the Followers, for she had never known such... fun before in her life.

As the days passed, though, her wound grew worse. The Followers had proven unable to heal it with their herbs, and it now threatened Demosel's life. Carno brought the group to camp along the shores of Ilkas Veridun. He was preparing to violate one of the most sacred regional customs -- the sanctity of the Sana'ati Haven, Ailaeteorn, the mystical island. Ordering everyone to remain on the shore, Carnovasch readied a small boat and placed the feverish girl inside. Then he rowed her across the placid lake...

No one knows what happened on the Island of Ailaeteorn save Demosel, Carnovasch, and the gods themselves. Demosel would later claim that Carno had met with Eluned herself there, and the two had magically healed her. Such is certainly possible, though unlikely... but no one can say, for so few have ever visited that island. Most believe it was the natural power of the island itself that saved the girl.

Carnovasch never returned from Ailaeteorn. Demosel told the Followers he had chosen to remain there, and had sent her back to the world. They all could see that something had changed in the girl, something magical. And to celebrate the saving of one of their own, the Followers held a great feast.

Note: It would be some years before Demosel and Andraethu met up again. For additional information, see Criminal Studies, Volume One.

Chapter Two: Demosel as a Moon Mage

Demosel remained with the gypsies for several years, until the time had come for her to receive formal Moon Mage training at the age of eighteen. So the Followers took her back to Leth Deriel, where she enrolled at the Ankis Dir Guildhall. Demosel's studies as a student went by quickly, and her skills and knowledge proved her an exceptional Moon Mage.

While at Ankis Dir as a student, Demosel sought out her brother, but was unsuccessful in locating him within the city. Nor was she able to find her father. She did speak with the leader of the wardens to clear herself of the crime of which they had suspected her.

She retained close ties with the Follower's of Fortune's Path, of which she considered herself a member, and she rose to high esteem among them as well. Most of the Followers considered Demosel to be chosen by the Web of Fate. She excelled at games of chance, rarely ever losing. She could hold her drink better than any Dwarf. She created an extraordinarily powerful deck of Tokka cards, earning her the Weaver of Fate title. And what's more, she turned out to be one of the finest storytellers and tale-weavers the Followers had ever known. They revered Demosel as a model of how to walk the Path of Fortune.

During her time at Ankis Dir, Demosel studied the magics of Illusion, which were initially taught to her by Carno, diligently, and she proved to have an innate knack for them. Those most illusory spells had always proven risky and unpredictable, Demosel managed to refine the magics to a usable form, which became known as the Wave of Distortion spell. Though still difficult to use, and reserved for the highest order of mages, Demosel's achievements in magical research brought her into the Council's eye.

Within the year, Demosel had been promoted and served as Guildmistress of the Ankis Dir Observatory. Her studies in the arts of foresight and magical research continued, as she attempted to further perfect her own, special Tokka deck. She assisted the young leader of the Heritage Keepers in testing a spell he had devised, known as Burn, and then he aided her in the creation and testing of the Garden of Lights spell. The Council was ecstatic with the accomplishments of its two finest researchers, and soon Demosel, now Demosel Dez'Madielle, and Taramaine Braun had earned seats of the Council.

While Taramaine was placed in charge of the Council's Heritage Keeper overseer position, Demosel earned a seat on the magical research team. Now Demosel was ready to attempt her greatest work yet.

Studying the Ways used by the Council and their Goldcaps, she sought to combine that magic with her own Illusion spells. The first attempt at the "Astral Paths" was a disaster, and nearly killed her. But Demosel didn't give up, and tried, and tried again. Never quite succeeding, though.

The Astral Path spell was finished in some form, and Demosel used the finished magic, vanishing. She returned to Throne City a month later, quite pleased with herself. But whenever anyone else attempted to utilize the magic, it either failed utterly or backfired. What was to be Demosel's crown jewel turned into her greatest disappointment. Astral Path was deemed a failure by the Council. Though the Council has continued to study the theories behind the spell to this day, there has never been any success with Astral Path.

Demosel never fully recovered from that incident -- such defeat rankled her. A few months later, in the hopes of keeping her mind occupied on other matters, she accompanied a disastrous expedition beneath the newly finished Crossbow Observatory. The events which occurred below served only to further push Demosel over the edge. She resigned from the Moon Mage High Council, though she retained close ties with it, and her personal friend, Taramaine. The two would often perform lectures together, later aided by Amiss D'Rhi, one of Demosel's apprentices.

Demosel became extremely depressed over the failure and the horrific expedition, and set herself to work on another task to redeem herself. She used a series of unknown magics upon an alchemic formula she had developed, and triumphed once again. This was the creation of "spidersilk," a special material that was extremely durable, but also quite light-weight. A shrewd business woman with an eye towards fortune (the very same Path she walked, after all), Demosel went into business with her spidersilk, and gained a respectable amount of wealth from the material. The magic process involved in its creation, she kept a secret which was shared with none.

Demosel has befriended, educated, and entertained countless students of the Guild with her remarkable talent for storytelling, and the benefits of her research aid the Guild even today. Demosel Dez'Madielle is truly a remarkable Moon Mage, whatever path she may walk.