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Description
That morning, Elena woke up early- she bathed in a wide, wooden tub, scrubbing herself with juniper-scented lard soap, and rinsed it off with two buckets of cool water that she carried up the prior night. She dried herself with a hempen towel, and proceeded to get ready. A small, precious tincture of bright red cherry pigment sat next to Elena's bed, to which she gently uncorked and applied sparingly to her lips. Beside it was a small pot of black, oiled soot, which she brushed carefully over her long eyelashes. She slipped on a clean white undergarment, carefully rolled a pair of dark, silk stockings up her legs, eased her linen blouse over her shoulders, and pulled up her beige-colored skirt. Elena then worked on her thick, deerskin corset- tediously tying each lace over her abdomen, before buckling on a leather harness- her wand and scrollcase attached. She walked towards the door of her small room, the worn but smooth wooden floorboards creaking, and slipped into her shoes. She plucked her mage's hat from a small stool, fixing it carefully over her moist hair, pulled on a pair of thin leather gloves, before exiting and gently closing the door.

She headed for the ground floor, the clatter of her wooden heels echoed throughout the halls as she made her way down the stairs. Breakfast was already being served in the guild's kitchen- a hearty portion of meat pie per student. She quickly chowed down her meal and finished it off with a tall flagon of cider, her eyes curiously darting between the unfamiliar guildmates that started to fill the kitchen. Elena was one of the newest novices- having arrived barely a week ago, she was shy and knew none of her fellow mages. She quickly got up and left the kitchen, hurrying towards the exit of the building. Today was a big day- she would start her first guild task later that morning, and needed somewhere to practice her spell.

Elena sat on a barrel near the rear gates of Ebonvale Keep, a minute walk from her guild. She removed her heavy hat and novice's wand, brushed away her hair, and set them aside on a barrel beside her. She opened the small case containing her spellscroll and unfurled the parchment.

In the center of the scroll was the arcane seal, verifying that it was imbued with magic. The words underneath- written in old draconic tongue- provided its reader the power to command the element of air. Inscribed was a basic spell that could create a small but potentially lethal gust of wind- a bolt of air. Used properly, it could bring down small monsters and even incapacitate other humans. She mouthed the spell carefully, the ancient language required proper pronunciation and emphasis to enable its reader to cast its magic.
"Uttol domin solusop cosperavinu abrut."
She mouthed each word with care, practicing the odd language. More experienced mages would have been able to effortlessly shout the phrase in a mere moment, but Elena was a novice. It would take her at least several seconds to speak the words, and in the heat of battle, several seconds was too long. She shook her head, frustrated, and continued to recite the spell.

Elena had chosen a relatively unpleasant location to study, as the summer sun started to beat down and the wooden barrel she sat on top of offered little in the way of comfort. She shifted her weight slightly, brushed away a few intrusive strands of hair, and crossed her legs. Elena's hardwood heel dropped downwards, and she impulsively arched her foot to keep her shoe from sliding off completely. A tall soldier- clad in plate armor, strode on horseback out of the gate. She raised her eyes and smiled awkwardly, though he rode past and paid her no heed. Dismayed, she brought her eyes down back to her scroll, wiping off a small bead of sweat that was forming on her temple. The clamor of the day was rising, and the familiar bustle of merchants, workers, adventurers, and troops from the castle square filled the air. She rocked her foot gently, dangling her shoe to the distant rhythmic pangs of a blacksmith hammering away at metal. The morning clamor was starting to get more distracting- Elena recited her spell a few more times before rolling up the parchment and tucking it away in her case. She stood up from the barrel, put on her hat and stowed away her wand. It was time to begin her first guildtask. Excited and slightly nervous, she strode past the safety of the castle walls and set out on a dirt road towards Oakwich Forest.

Description
That morning, Elena woke up early- she bathed in a wide, wooden tub, scrubbing herself with juniper-scented lard soap, and rinsed it off with two buckets of cool water that she carried up the prior night. She dried herself with a hempen towel, and proceeded to get ready. A small, precious tincture of bright red cherry pigment sat next to Elena's bed, to which she gently uncorked and applied sparingly to her lips. Beside it was a small pot of black, oiled soot, which she brushed carefully over her long eyelashes. She slipped on a clean white undergarment, carefully rolled a pair of dark, silk stockings up her legs, eased her linen blouse over her shoulders, and pulled up her beige-colored skirt. Elena then worked on her thick, deerskin corset- tediously tying each lace over her abdomen, before buckling on a leather harness- her wand and scrollcase attached. She walked towards the door of her small room, the worn but smooth wooden floorboards creaking, and slipped into her shoes. She plucked her mage's hat from a small stool, fixing it carefully over her moist hair, pulled on a pair of thin leather gloves, before exiting and gently closing the door.

She headed for the ground floor, the clatter of her wooden heels echoed throughout the halls as she made her way down the stairs. Breakfast was already being served in the guild's kitchen- a hearty portion of meat pie per student. She quickly chowed down her meal and finished it off with a tall flagon of cider, her eyes curiously darting between the unfamiliar guildmates that started to fill the kitchen. Elena was one of the newest novices- having arrived barely a week ago, she was shy and knew none of her fellow mages. She quickly got up and left the kitchen, hurrying towards the exit of the building. Today was a big day- she would start her first guild task later that morning, and needed somewhere to practice her spell.

Elena sat on a barrel near the rear gates of Ebonvale Keep, a minute walk from her guild. She removed her heavy hat and novice's wand, brushed away her hair, and set them aside on a barrel beside her. She opened the small case containing her spellscroll and unfurled the parchment.

In the center of the scroll was the arcane seal, verifying that it was imbued with magic. The words underneath- written in old draconic tongue- provided its reader the power to command the element of air. Inscribed was a basic spell that could create a small but potentially lethal gust of wind- a bolt of air. Used properly, it could bring down small monsters and even incapacitate other humans. She mouthed the spell carefully, the ancient language required proper pronunciation and emphasis to enable its reader to cast its magic.
"Uttol domin solusop cosperavinu abrut."
She mouthed each word with care, practicing the odd language. More experienced mages would have been able to effortlessly shout the phrase in a mere moment, but Elena was a novice. It would take her at least several seconds to speak the words, and in the heat of battle, several seconds was too long. She shook her head, frustrated, and continued to recite the spell.

Elena had chosen a relatively unpleasant location to study, as the summer sun started to beat down and the wooden barrel she sat on top of offered little in the way of comfort. She shifted her weight slightly, brushed away a few intrusive strands of hair, and crossed her legs. Elena's hardwood heel dropped downwards, and she impulsively arched her foot to keep her shoe from sliding off completely. A tall soldier- clad in plate armor, strode on horseback out of the gate. She raised her eyes and smiled awkwardly, though he rode past and paid her no heed. Dismayed, she brought her eyes down back to her scroll, wiping off a small bead of sweat that was forming on her temple. The clamor of the day was rising, and the familiar bustle of merchants, workers, adventurers, and troops from the castle square filled the air. She rocked her foot gently, dangling her shoe to the distant rhythmic pangs of a blacksmith hammering away at metal. The morning clamor was starting to get more distracting- Elena recited her spell a few more times before rolling up the parchment and tucking it away in her case. She stood up from the barrel, put on her hat and stowed away her wand. It was time to begin her first guildtask. Excited and slightly nervous, she strode past the safety of the castle walls and set out on a dirt road towards Oakwich Forest.