Q: So why were you using false names?
A: Well, I was still worried, at that time, of being captured by the military. I thought that by now the Lido would be reported overdue somewhere and they'd be looking for survivors. I suspected, from what I remember of the military men on the ship and the few I ever met in Freestone, that they would have expected survivors to wait on the beach for them to find the wreck. Never mind the beach wasn't safe.
Q: So you thought -
A: I thought they would consider us deserters and arrest us and force back into their system.
Q: Okay, let's pick up where we left off. Why go to Irawaddy?
A: Well, I was excited to see a city, and after the weeks we spent traveling away from Freestone I was eager to see people again. And I wanted to make contact with another mage, to see if I could trade some scrolls, or buy some supplies. It was at this time, you'll remember, that I was just starting out, and I had a few scrolls to swap. I thought I was so powerful. All we can do is laugh at the folly of our youth and wonder how we survived.
Q: What was it like entering the city for the first time? Was it like anything you had ever experienced?
A: Absolutely not. We, if I recall correctly, we entered the gate by the Old Fruit Market. I can't recall what they are calling that gate nowadays, but it was amazing back then. We moved quickly past the guardians of the city, their eyes like sharp razors and alert as guard dogs. Once we were through though we had little to do while we waited for the city to wake. Soon we were able to buy fruit. It was the first extra food we had had in many suns and I was eager to dive in. But before I could bite my first banana the market was bustling with sellers and buyers. I'm sure there were a few pickpockets lurking about and I kept my guard up as best I could.
Q: Is this when you had the run-in with the guards?
A: No that came much later. Patience, young one, that story will outÉ
Q: The fruit market...
A: Ah, yes. Many people, wearing colors of all kinds began milling around, looking for and calling out for the best deals. When a mutual price was found the buyers and sellers would yell out "kaufen," which I came to understand means Ôbuy.' The atmosphere was like a drug. I felt like I was at home, and in many respects I was, as it turned out.
Q: How did the elves do?
A: Haha! That Half-Orc chef and Angry Pipe (who looks the same as the day I met him, by the gods!) immediately went to find a hookah shop. It was simply not to be believed, but I'm one to keep my guard up.
Q: And Linear?
A: He was a bit awkward at first and when I haggled the fruit seller, and later the hotel clerk, he seemed taken aback by my brisk, business-like manner. Soon though, he was at it himself, for he had found work tending an old widow's bushes.
Q: What else can you tell about your first days in Irawaddy?
A: Well, the food was simply amazing. There were many more small food dealers then, now with the health control laws and the regulations being enforced (I see by the look on your face dear interviewer that you think I exaggerate, but I tell you, while you may think your Irawaddy wild and lawless now, you should have seen it when I was still your age!) many of these shops are now closed. One of my favorites was the Al-Hadoon. A simply monstrous breakfast was to be had.
Q: And how did Bruno handle all of these changes?
A: Well, you know Bruno is very tough. He survived the fire at the first keep the College possessed, before we scattered, and then the infestationÉbut this was long before any of that, but he did quite well. He was soon scouting for us in our various missions. You'll have to remember he was still quite young thenÉhe did survive that fire though, how exactly I'm not sure, but that was something.
Q: Can you describe your process for scribing scrolls? Was there a method you followed with particular attention to details, or did you just sit down and start scribbling away?
A: Scribbling away? My good man, have you ever written the arcane characters required to harness magical powers into print? One does not simply sit down and simply start "scribbling away."
Q: The process, sir... for the archives...
A: Yes, for the bloody archives then, as if the dozen surviving members of the Scattered College will ever collect to peruse them...I began, as I begin even now, by sitting quietly and looking out the window, or watching an insect. This helps quiet my mind. Sometimes I stretch before I begin writing. Then I take the quill and inspect it to make sure the edge is sharp and free from the small burrs that can catch ink and mar the best writing. Also I have to beware that the feathers will hold together so as not to drop while the ink is wet. Even a small thread can destroy the magic, you see? You see how delicate this writing is, it's not simply scribbling away.
Then the writing begins. Once I start I try to keep at it until the scroll is complete. Obviously with the more powerful spells it can mean writing for many hours without a break. It takes discipline and dedication to craft.
Once many years ago I went on a sea voyage. The sailors on the boat spoke of how important they took respect for the ocean. They said the sea would know if you lost respect for her and make you pay for it. It is much the same with magic.
Q: Many times you have been in areas where respect for magic has been less, uh, vigilant.
A: Yes, but I was able to blend and lay low. Even in those times I could rely on my magic to protect me.
Q: What happened to you during the times you entered areas where magic was less reliable. What about the surge areas?
A: Well, I had some warning by the djinn in the temple of Tal'Kora, but at first it was very scary. You come to rely on the world being a certain way and then when it isn't it can be quite startling.
Let me answer it this way: An old man accidentally fell into the river rapids leading to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life. Miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls. People asked him how he managed to survive. "I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived."
This is how I survived the wilder days of casting spells.
Q: And what happened after you spent a few days in the city of Irawaddy?
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Unfortunately the answer to this question has been lost by the archivists. For the remainder of the interview, please see History of The Scattered College, Vol. X, "Mosholu transcripts".
