Chapter 30 — The Enchanters Guild

After leaving the stationery store, a quick look at the sky confirmed that Ria still had some time before she needed to head home. Master Rigure’s house wasn’t far from the stationery shop, so she decided to make that her last stop for the day.

The house was a mess of angled roofs attached to a round stone tower, situated in a tree-shaded garden ringed by an iron fence. Naturally, such a verdant property abutted the courtyard in front of the lord’s manor and sat opposite the village chapel and orphanage—at least that’s what Ria was assuming the dormitory-like building with the play yard behind the chapel was.

Access to the orphanage and its play yard was from the alleyway behind the fancy residences of the courtyard, probably to keep the children from causing trouble in front of the lord’s manner and the other wealthy properties. Not that it mattered to her… though, perhaps she would take more interest if she became friends with one of the girls there.

Letting herself through the iron gate, Ria approached Master Rigure’s house and worked up enough courage to use the door knocker.

When the maid invited her into the house, Ria was again asking herself why Vorshan’s Hills was still considered just a village. The interior of the house certainly looked like what she expected of a wealthy mage living in a large town or city somewhere. Magical nicknacks were everywhere, and she could feel the vibration of magical energy drifting throughout the place.

The maid led Ria to a sitting room and prepared her a pleasantly aromatic tea before leaving to inform the master of her arrival. Having never been treated to such luxury before, Ria drank in the magical ambiance with her eyes and senses while sipping her tea.

Surprisingly, she didn’t have to wait long before a robed man soon entered through an archway. The man’s robes were a rich brown with gold embroidery, and his mantle and stole displayed scenes of wheat and seasonal themes related to the harvest. An earth-specialized mage belonging to an order that focused on improving crop yields if she had to guess.

“Hello, welcome to my home. I’m Rigure, master mage of the Bountiful Harvest. I hear you are looking to join the Enchanters Guild and purchase some tools?”

Ria stood up and returned the greeting. “Yes, Simon recommended you. To be honest, I don’t know anything about the Enchanters Guild, but I thought it best to be proactive.”

“Yes, that is certainly wise,” Master Rigure replied and motioned for her to return to sitting as he took the seat opposite. “The guilds can be annoying, but they do have their benefits for members. Unfortunately, membership to the Enchanters Guild is quite expensive, so most young mages find it easier to join an existing workshop. Are you sure your master isn’t already a member?”

“I’m self-taught, and I have yet to find a master,” Ria admitted. This time, she wasn’t about to repeat her mistake of saying her master was Archmage Luventi.

Master Rigure’s eyebrows rose. “That’s unexpected. In the current era, it is unusual to find anyone talented enough to perform even the most basic of magic without some instruction from a mentor… unless they have formed a pact with a magical being.”

Ria held up her hands in denial. “I do have a familiar, but he is just a common farm dog. I learned from an old beginner text by Archmage Luventi.”

“Luventi, eh? That name sure brings back memories. His textbooks were often feared assignments at the academy,” Master Rigure smiled wryly. “So, young apprentice, what are you up to that has you worried about the Enchanters Guild?”

“I’m… Lord Vorshan has given me a license to practice Shamanic Magic and tasked me with improving my Ward Magic. I was thinking about purchasing enchantable inks and using a focus tool to apply the wards to paper,” Ria replied.

Master Rigure rubbed his forehead. “In that case, Simon was certainly correct to send you here. Creating enchanted scrolls is certainly under the purview of the guild. Seriously girl. You haven’t even attended an academy, and you’re already getting involved in ritual magic. Not just Spirit Magic, but Wards now too? It’s worrisome. What is Lord Vorshan thinking?”

Ria thought that the license and pardon solved her problems. Was it not that simple? “Um… should I not do it?”

“No, you’ve been given a license and a task.” Master Rigure sighed. “I’ll just have to pay Lord Vorshan a visit to discuss this and make sure that he isn’t planning something that will bring down an inquisitor from the High Council.”

“An inquisitor?”

“Certain aspects of ritual magic are highly regulated by law. Anything related to Spirit Magic, Summoning, and the like. Regional governors are given some leeway to adjudicate cases and issue temporary licenses, but abuse of the process to obtain power will result in investigation and punishment by the High Council. Definitely not something we want to deal with,” Master Rigure explained.

“How do I get a real license?” Ria asked worriedly.

“You have to attend an academy and get a certification. It’s possible to get the certification without attending an academy, but few officials would stake their name to certify an unknown mage.”

“Oh! Lord Vorshan was talking about sponsoring me to the Grand Crysellian Academy. Can I get my certification there?” Ria excitedly asked.

“Of course,” Master Rigure confirmed. “The Grand Academy is the most prestigious academy in all of Crysellia. They have instructors for all of the certifications.”

“And about the Enchanters Guild?”

“If you are making scrolls for your own personal use, then the guild doesn’t normally get involved unless the scrolls are particularly dangerous. If you are selling scrolls then membership would be required, of course. The benefits of membership are that the guild will assist you in disputes over the quality of your product, give access to enchantable materials at better prices, and will provide training for a fee,” Master Rigure said then made a self-deprecating smile. “I am the only guild instructor available in Vorshan’s Hills, and what I can teach is limited, but your membership will be honored throughout Crysellia as long as you remain in good standing.”

“What do I have to do to remain in good standing?” Ria asked. In the stories she read, the responsibilities of guild membership almost always outweighed the benefits or were at least a total bureaucratic pain.

Master Rigure’s smile indicated he could guess what she was thinking. “As a provisional member, you must bring items for sale to be certified for quality. An hourly certification fee can be paid at the time of certification or later as ten percent of the sale price. Your workshop will be inspected periodically.”

“Ugh. You need to inspect my bedroom?” Ria couldn’t help blurting out.

Master Rigure chuckled. “My tower workspace is available for rent if you prefer.”

This guild sure was money-grubbing. “How much is the provisional membership?”

“2 gold.”

Expensive!

Ria narrowed her eyes. “And I have to become a member to buy the ink?”

“Yes. The sale of imbuable ink is regulated because it can be used for ritual magic. But I can sell you other things like focus tools even if you aren’t a member,” Master Rigure said. “Oh, and I forgot to mention. The guild will often buy the things you make if they are useful and meet a certain quality threshold.”

He forgot the most important thing! Ria’s mind was already spinning with possible scrolls she could make, and if she could learn how to enchant from this membership, then 2 gold wasn’t a bad price at all.

“Alright. I’ll do it,” Ria decided and dug two gold coins out of her coin sack.

"Eh? Really? You're walking around with that much money?" Master Rigure was honestly surprised as he received the coins. "Well then… I'll be needing a trademark for your workshop. With that, I can make your guild card."

"A trade... mark?" Ria asked. "Ah! That's the symbol that my mom would stitch inside the clothes that she made! My dad had one that he would press into the boots and armor that he made."

Master Rigure nodded. "Yes, that sounds right. Do you have one?"

Ria shook her head. "No, but I have an idea. If you don't mind waiting for me to sketch it out."

"Yes, take your time," Master Rigure agreed. He plucked a silver bell from the table and rang it.

The maid from before returned and was sent to retrieve a guild application form.

Ria's mom's symbol was a swan in a circle. Her father's was a boot with a skinning knife stuck through it. The symbol of Shadewood was an oak tree with broad branches. Mindful that she was most likely the last survivor of her village and, in a way, representative of the village itself, her idea was to center the tree within a circle, extending its roots to create balance, and to either side of the trunk, she placed her parents' trademarks.

The idea wasn't the most creative, so she had to make up for that with the execution. The oak ended up looking more like some mystical world tree, and she had to remove the circle from her mom's trademark, but the end result was nicely balanced. The only things missing were her staff and wand, but there was no place to put them… unless…

Having a sudden inspiration, Ria replaced the outer circle with a partially unrolled scroll that wrapped around the design, and in the gap left at the top, she added a very small version of her staff crossed by a wand to form an ‘x’-shape.

"It's a good design, but also rather complex. You'll probably need to hire an engraver or woodcarver to make your stamp," Master Rigure cautioned. "Ah, here we go."

Taking the form from the maid, he passed it along to Ria.

"Just fill in the fields as neatly as possible and draw your trademark in the box," Master Rigure instructed.

Filling out the form was simple. For name and workshop, she just put 'Ria of Shadewood'. For primary business, 'Scrolls'. Primary location was ‘Vorshan’s Hills’. She only had one license to list, and her mage rank was apprentice. The rest of the categories didn't apply to her.

She had to show Master Rigure her Shamanic Magic license since she listed it. Satisfied, Master Rigure took the application. “So, for the focus tool, do you prefer a brush or a pen? The brushes are better for curves and Elven-style inscription with varying line width. The pens are better for straight lines with consistent widths.”

“I like using brushes, but my mom used to make me practice my letters with a reed pen every day... maybe I should try both?” Ria said, unsure.

“Alright, I’ll be back shortly.”

As Ria watched the brown-robed mage leave through the archway, she began to feel a sense of excitement about joining a professional guild and starting her own workshop. She was only able to afford this opportunity thanks to her parents’ hard work.

The enchanter’s house was so full of magical energies that Ria couldn’t help herself from slipping out of her boots and assuming the Outwardly Focused pose in the cushy chair. There were so many different magic items of different energy types, and she hadn’t even made her way through half the items in the room before noticing Master Rigure’s return.

Ria quickly worked her feet back into their boots, and if he noticed, Master Rigure didn’t say anything. He placed a thin black stone slab on the table together with an open case containing ink wells and ink stones. The maid followed behind carrying a tray with focus tools which she also placed on the table.

The pens and brushes were all exotic in appearance. There were even two impressive quills among the tools.

“Quills?” Ria asked, curious.

“Yes. Quills can naturally conduct magical energy. So, they tend to be more affordable, if somewhat disposable. Before that, let’s talk about the inks,” Master Rigure motioned toward the open case. “The pre-prepared inks come ready to use and only need stirring. The downside is generally lower efficiency in receiving energy, relying more on the tool to convey the energy. The ink stones allow for filling the stone with energy before grinding and are less reliant on the writing tool.”

Ria touched each of the stones and tried adding her energy to get an idea of how much each would hold and how well they would hold it.

“For the most powerful results, the imbued stone or crystal is ground and added to enchanted ink or some other enchantable liquid instead of water. Clear crystal and clear fluid can be used to create hidden enchantments that are almost invisible to non-mages,” Master Rigure further explained.

She definitely wanted to use the liquid-plus-stone approach. So far, from her testing, each stone received her energy differently.

The crystals obviously were the most receptive, but the idea of grinding them was unappealing. That the energy was also easy to remove from them was worrisome.

The best candidate was a black stone with flecks of glitter. Putting her energy into the stone was difficult, but it seemed capable of densely holding a very large amount. Since she could fill the stone beforehand the speed wasn’t an issue, and the ward should last longer.

“I like this one,” Ria decided.

Master Rigure nodded in approval. “Black magicite. An excellent choice. Many enchanters choose to use more expensive crystal, which is excellent when paired with a complementary ink, but enchantments made with black magicite are more resistant to interference and last longer. You’ll find that black magicite lets you make smaller and much more intricate designs. That stone is standard size, medium quality. 5 silver.”

It was expensive, but the other stones weren’t really comparable. She purchased it.

“For pairing with black magicite, I recommend this oak gall ink made from dryad tree oak galls. It has slime gel added, which makes the ink energy-retentive and waterproof. A small container is 2 silver. A large container is 5 silver. You’ll also want a grinding tray and a spare inkwell to hold any leftover ink.”

Ria bought the large container and Master Rigure included a sealable inkwell and a grinding tray made out of a heavy dark-gray stone as a gift.

“Shanna, if you would, the selection of paper and parchment,” Master Rigure addressed the maid.

Except for her purchases, the selection of inks was removed and replaced by paper and parchment samples. Master Rigure went on to explain the different qualities. Enchantable parchment was made from the skin of magical beasts and was fairly expensive. Enchantable paper was made from the fibers of common magical plants and was less expensive. The high-quality samples of each were of course made from rarer materials.

Master Rigure explained that each quality of paper had its use. There was no sense in putting a weak enchantment intended for everyday use on an expensive high-quality parchment. And trying to inscribe a powerful enchantment on a low-quality paper was dangerous because the paper would combust or disintegrate under the power of the enchantment and the stored energy would run wild, often resulting in an explosion.

He recommended that she buy a variety of types to practice with, but to be very careful not to exceed what the material could handle. For her base ink and inkstone choice, a good medium-quality parchment would be ideal.

Ria followed his advice and purchased some of each. Fortunately, the low-quality paper was fairly inexpensive, so she bought a stack of that to practice with.

With her paper and ink selected, Master Rigure directed her attention to the writing tools. He placed a nicely-textured low-quality paper and a low-quality parchment on the black stone slab and told her to prepare her ink.

Ria received advice on grinding the inkstone in the tray and how much liquid ink to use. By testing the balance of energy in the resulting composite ink she was able to adjust the composition.

Master Rigure handed her the plainest of the two quills, a mean black and white striped quill. “That’s a screaming roc’s feather. It is slightly wind attuned. Their conductivity is poor, but they are inexpensive at 3 copper and useful when working with weak enchantments on low-quality paper. An excellent tool for beginners practicing penmanship.”

Ria pushed her energy into the quill. It wasn’t anywhere near as responsive as her staff. Disappointing, really.

“A delicate touch with your energy will often produce better results. Learning the quirks of each material takes practice and skill,” Master Rigure advised.

She dipped the quill in the prepared ink and started inscribing a simple ward, one that she had practiced often enough during her trip to readily ink from memory. Almost immediately she noticed something was wrong. The energy seemed to bleed away not long after she pushed it into the ink and paper. Feeling more carefully with her energy perception, she realized that the stone slab under the paper was absorbing the energy.

Noticing her surprised expression, Master Rigure chuckled. “It’s called void stone, and it absorbs energy. We can’t have enchantments running wild while you’re testing the tools, now can we?”

Ria nodded in understanding. It made sense, and was something she was wondering about, especially if she was supposed to test those fancy pens and brushes.

The quill handled the straights and curves well. She could use pressure or the angle of the quill to vary the line thickness. It was an effective writing tool.

Trying the parchment next, she was much more impressed with the way the ink was received by the parchment. The lines were much smoother. With the paper, the ink was absorbed into many different directions due to the paper’s fibers. With the parchment, the ink was absorbed evenly, and the gel formed a nice protective layer on top.

The difference was so clear that she regretted purchasing so much paper. Next time, she would purchase more parchment.

Ria used her blood-stained rag to clean the quill and handed it back. The rag drew an odd look from Master Rigure, but he didn’t say anything and instead handed her a vivid red quill that was warm to the touch and felt of fire energy. It received her energy easily and was a joy to draw with.

“A phoenix feather. Strongly fire-attuned. Not really recommended for low-quality paper. Affordably priced at 4 silver,” Master Rigure informed her.

The paper did smolder slightly at the point of contact. Just for fun, she danced little flames off the end of the feather while she scritched away merrily.

“This one is nice. It’s a shame that the paper burns, but the quill is also useful as a focus tool for fire magic. I’ll buy it,” Ria said happily and set the quill to the side.

Master Rigure smiled at her. “It’s a good choice. Be careful with it.”

Next were the ‘student preferred’ standard scroll-writing pens and brushes made of magic wood embedded with silver cores. The pen nibs were silver alloys, and the brush bristles were made with the hair and furs of various magical beasts. They were a lot like her staff in feel, and Master Rigure advised her that the tool would become more attuned to her the more she used it. Each was priced at 5 silver coins.

All solid choices, but she was excited to try the two really fancy focus tools. One, a pen with a strange gnarled wood handle, spiderwebbed with gold veins and featuring a blueish metal tip. The other, a brush made of a metallic bone material carved with miniature dragons wrapping around the handle and featuring glittering golden bristles. Both tools felt incredibly magical without even touching them.

The wood one went first, and her energy readily poured into it. She could use her full amount of inner energy with this tool. Exercising extreme caution, she began to draw on the paper now littered with ward diagrams. The tool was more difficult to work with than expected, and would cut into the paper if she applied too much force. The lines were exacting and showed every mistake. This was a professional’s tool.

“A treant wood pen with a crystal core and mithril pen nib. One of the best pens in my collection. I’m willing to part with it for 3 gold coins,” Master Rigure told her.

With regret, Ria withdrew her energy from the pen. “It’s an excellent pen, but I’m not skilled enough to use this one yet.”

Master Rigure nodded, as if that was the expected result. “No need to be discouraged. Recognizing one’s limitations is a valuable trait. The remaining brush is made of dragon bone and unicorn hair.”

The dragon bone brush was a greedy tool and easily gulped down all of her energy causing the handle to glitter darkly like a night sky and the unicorn hair to glow and sparkle.

When drawing, she could tell that the ink was almost at the limit of what it could support. With this brush, she could make dangerously powerful wards. The ink flowed easily onto the paper and the parchment, each eaten away by the powerful energy, and without the void stone below, the energy would have run wild. Bold and fine lines were both possible, and Ria’s painting skills let her control the expression accurately enough to do detailed work.

Even beyond its writing capabilities, as a general focus tool, the dragon brush was excellent. The dual attunement of shadow and light would certainly be useful.

“How much?” Ria asked breathlessly. If it was 3 gold like the other, she would buy it without hesitation.

After giving her an evaluating gaze, as if trying to decide if she was worthy of such a tool, Master Rigure said, “I wouldn’t normally sell a brush this nice, as they are hard to come by outside of the capital. I only included the dragon brush and treant wood pen out of curiosity. You’ve impressed me, so against my better judgement, I’ll allow you to purchase it for 5 gold. The brush is an extremely dangerous tool though, and you must exercise the utmost caution when using it.”

Ugh. Almost double the cost of the pen. If she hadn’t ordered the robes, it would be an easy purchase. But, her parents’ money wasn’t limitless, and she didn’t know what other costs she might have. The academy tuition was, in particular, an unknown amount.

Ria shook her head. “I want it, but I need to prove that I can earn back the money first. I’ll purchase the standard pen and brush for now.”

“A wise choice,” Master Rigure said approvingly.

Ria selected a pen and brush that felt the most compatible with her inner energy. Both were quite fancy when compared with ordinary pens and brushes. “Can I get a case for carrying them, and a box for the paper?”

“Of course. Shanna could you select something appropriate for her?”

The maid left through the archway, and Ria cleaned up her ink, pouring the leftover ink from the grinding tray into the empty inkwell. She swished the ink around to get as much of the ground stone as possible, but there was still some waste that ended up on her rag.

“Ria, here’s your guild card. We got distracted earlier, so I’m giving it to you now,” Master Rigure said and handed over a thin metallic plate. “You can use this for identification when requested by government officials. It will allow you access to public services such as auctions, libraries, and judicial courts.”

Ria looked over the card. Her information and trademark were magically embedded into the material. The card went into her tool pouch. “By the way, Master Rigure, as a guild member, what can I now learn from you?”

“I would recommend Fundamentals of Enchanting, Introductory Scroll Making, or Introductory Engraving to start with. Spell Storing and Focus Item Crafting might be achievable once you’ve gained a proper understanding of basic enchanting. My fee is 2 silver coins for each three-hour session. Materials used will be an additional cost,” Master Rigure explained.

The fee was more than she wanted to pay, but the amount was probably cheap to obtain such specialized knowledge.

When Shanna returned with her case and box, Ria paid the requested amount and excused herself. She had lost track of time and was getting quite worried that she would be late for dinner.