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Roleplaying (Communitive Storywriting) / Saba's story
« on: July 23, 2005, 04:41:58 pm »
For the people who missed it at the story telling event.
(wich was great, thanks performers and audience)
Saba Acidheart??s at the Alchemist??s University
People who know me will have noticed how often I make silly mistakes. I will tell you now the story of a mistake I have made with very dramatic consequences.
I have a lot of brothers and sisters. They all have something special: looks, talents, every one of them has something to be proud of, apart from me. As a child I kept trying and trying to excel in something. I did never succeed. ?? I often wondered what the difference was. Why could I never be as smart or lovely as the others? Could it change? I decided to study at the Alchemist??s University. I wanted to learn how to change lead into gold, plainness into beauty, the ordinary into something wonderful.
I was not a brilliant student either. I worked hard, very hard. But I simply could not remember the figures in the books as well as the others, and really to often spoiled a potion by adding the wrong ingredients or mixing the wrong quantities. I hated my more gifted fellow students. I did think they acted like their talents were something they earned. They often laughed at me. My unpleasant attitude towards them, and a regrettable accident that involved self-made acid bombs and the ceremonial robe of my mentor was the reason they gave me the nickname Acidheart.
One day a new professor was appointed. His name was Grandmaster Nardus, a brilliant man, the youngest professor in the history of the University. I was so jealous with him it made me sick. But his colleges gave me hope. He said: ??It is not about gathering all the knowledge you can, or creating brilliant theories. That will give you high marks, but no progression. You must explore the reality, find out what is of value in it, and set out a path towards it.?? Since I was not good in gathering knowledge or brilliant theories, I did try to apply his approach.
He was not a handsome man. He moved in a stiff way, his head and shoulders always bent slightly forwards as if he was looking very intensely at something in front of him. If he looked at me with raised eyebrows when I spilled a potion or did not get a formula right my soul shrivelled. But on the other hand?K Sometime when he looked in my direction with those keen eyes I hoped he could see what was of value in me, and find a path towards it. If only I could once make a good impression!
In that time I did hear of the potion nimblewits. The potion makes you more intelligent and focussed. It was forbidden for students of my level to make it. The ingredients were too valuable, and if you did not mix them right highly explosive. I wanted to use that potion and for once make a good impression on Grandmaster Nardus. I will no tell you about all the trouble I had to get the ingredients, recipe and tools to prepare the potion. But one night I was all alone in the laboratory wing of the university. With my head red from concentration I was working on the complicated potion. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the most dangerous part. My hand trembled as I added and counted the drops. One, two, three?K. In spite of my shaking hands the drops did have the right size! I was going to succeed. I wondered how Grandmaster Nardus would look at me with those piercing eyes if I did well in class. Hell, I realized I lost concentration! Though I was not good at remembering theory I remembered what the slow colour change of the potion meant! I ran for cover.
A terrible bang. And after it the thundering sound of walls collapsing. I did blow up the entire wing of the university.
Of course I was expelled. All alone in my room I was packing and wondering what to do next. My fellow students had just sniggered when they heard I had to go. I was not very popular. Then there was a knocking at the door. It was Grandmaster Nardus.
??Saba?? he said, ??The other professors and I disagree. I do not think you are a hopeless student.??
I looked at him. Sometimes, like now, zeal made his rodent face nearly beautiful.
??After all??, he said, you did explore reality, found out what was of value, and did set out a path to it. Though the path did not bring you where you wanted to go, your basic idea was right. You do need nimblewits, and a lot of it.??
He put down a big sack full of the potion and left my room.
I took up the sack and my belongings and walked out. From time to time I looked at the potions. I had the chance to be brilliant now. ??You need nimblewits, and a lot of it?? echoed in my head. He did not say it in a mean way, it was just his conclusion. Out of habit I did walk to the potion sellers. One of the salesmen had a horse to pull the small cart with potions. It was a bit ugly, and did not look fast or strong either. But I really liked that horse. The owner did give the horse to me, in exchange for the valuable potions. After I did buy some other things I needed I left the town on my new horse, an ugly animal, with no talents, but already precious to me.
(wich was great, thanks performers and audience)
Saba Acidheart??s at the Alchemist??s University
People who know me will have noticed how often I make silly mistakes. I will tell you now the story of a mistake I have made with very dramatic consequences.
I have a lot of brothers and sisters. They all have something special: looks, talents, every one of them has something to be proud of, apart from me. As a child I kept trying and trying to excel in something. I did never succeed. ?? I often wondered what the difference was. Why could I never be as smart or lovely as the others? Could it change? I decided to study at the Alchemist??s University. I wanted to learn how to change lead into gold, plainness into beauty, the ordinary into something wonderful.
I was not a brilliant student either. I worked hard, very hard. But I simply could not remember the figures in the books as well as the others, and really to often spoiled a potion by adding the wrong ingredients or mixing the wrong quantities. I hated my more gifted fellow students. I did think they acted like their talents were something they earned. They often laughed at me. My unpleasant attitude towards them, and a regrettable accident that involved self-made acid bombs and the ceremonial robe of my mentor was the reason they gave me the nickname Acidheart.
One day a new professor was appointed. His name was Grandmaster Nardus, a brilliant man, the youngest professor in the history of the University. I was so jealous with him it made me sick. But his colleges gave me hope. He said: ??It is not about gathering all the knowledge you can, or creating brilliant theories. That will give you high marks, but no progression. You must explore the reality, find out what is of value in it, and set out a path towards it.?? Since I was not good in gathering knowledge or brilliant theories, I did try to apply his approach.
He was not a handsome man. He moved in a stiff way, his head and shoulders always bent slightly forwards as if he was looking very intensely at something in front of him. If he looked at me with raised eyebrows when I spilled a potion or did not get a formula right my soul shrivelled. But on the other hand?K Sometime when he looked in my direction with those keen eyes I hoped he could see what was of value in me, and find a path towards it. If only I could once make a good impression!
In that time I did hear of the potion nimblewits. The potion makes you more intelligent and focussed. It was forbidden for students of my level to make it. The ingredients were too valuable, and if you did not mix them right highly explosive. I wanted to use that potion and for once make a good impression on Grandmaster Nardus. I will no tell you about all the trouble I had to get the ingredients, recipe and tools to prepare the potion. But one night I was all alone in the laboratory wing of the university. With my head red from concentration I was working on the complicated potion. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the most dangerous part. My hand trembled as I added and counted the drops. One, two, three?K. In spite of my shaking hands the drops did have the right size! I was going to succeed. I wondered how Grandmaster Nardus would look at me with those piercing eyes if I did well in class. Hell, I realized I lost concentration! Though I was not good at remembering theory I remembered what the slow colour change of the potion meant! I ran for cover.
A terrible bang. And after it the thundering sound of walls collapsing. I did blow up the entire wing of the university.
Of course I was expelled. All alone in my room I was packing and wondering what to do next. My fellow students had just sniggered when they heard I had to go. I was not very popular. Then there was a knocking at the door. It was Grandmaster Nardus.
??Saba?? he said, ??The other professors and I disagree. I do not think you are a hopeless student.??
I looked at him. Sometimes, like now, zeal made his rodent face nearly beautiful.
??After all??, he said, you did explore reality, found out what was of value, and did set out a path to it. Though the path did not bring you where you wanted to go, your basic idea was right. You do need nimblewits, and a lot of it.??
He put down a big sack full of the potion and left my room.
I took up the sack and my belongings and walked out. From time to time I looked at the potions. I had the chance to be brilliant now. ??You need nimblewits, and a lot of it?? echoed in my head. He did not say it in a mean way, it was just his conclusion. Out of habit I did walk to the potion sellers. One of the salesmen had a horse to pull the small cart with potions. It was a bit ugly, and did not look fast or strong either. But I really liked that horse. The owner did give the horse to me, in exchange for the valuable potions. After I did buy some other things I needed I left the town on my new horse, an ugly animal, with no talents, but already precious to me.