There's no such thing as 'bad' knowledge..

[Piken]

(Disclaimer: While these posts are in chronological order, they will not always directly follow the previous one. They may be a direct follow-up or as much as days or even weeks ahead of the last. Just sayin'!)

The Forsaken glanced over all of the tomes before him, a grin on his face. A crooked grin thanks to his constantly offset jaw. When he was shown this collection, he nearly jumped for joy! It was magnificent. Never before had he seen such a collection owned by a private collector. The last he saw of this was in the Church's libraries years before he was Risen. He picked four tomes from the shelf, nodding to Edgar Barlton, the owner of these lovely pieces of parchment stuck together.

"I thank you much for permission to read over such things!" The priest repeated to his new friend and fellow lover of knowledge.

Atius opened the first tome and began reading. From the very first word on he absorbed everything the book had to offer. He was consumed by it, his attentions on nothing but the knowledge the pages poured into his mind. It was euphoric. Reading, seeing, learning. Taking in every last word, every sentence and explanation. As soon as he finished a single page, he read it again. And when he finished, he read it a third time. Always in threes. He must read every page three times.. And every time was better than the last. He always seemed to somehow understand things better in his mind, the explanations and methods making so much more sense the third time around. It gave the Forsaken's mind more time to try and piece together what was written and work it all out in his head.

He spent hours upon hours reading. There was no need for food. No need for rest. He lost himself in the tomes. As soon as he finished the first tome, which was hours later, he immediately picked up the next one he had lined up. These were tomes and books on basic Shadow magic, both Arcane and otherwise. It was everything a Shadow-wielder should know and more! Shadow magic was the corpse's favorite subject to study. Even in life, he was fascinated by it. It consumed him, devoured him, this hunger for knowledge. He could never have enough. And there was plenty of it for him in this.. sacred ground. His claw would graze ever so delicately over the pages as he studied formulas and theories, methods and demonstrations.

It was his own, personal utopia. And he was just beginning..

[Piken]

His studies were going well, so far. He spent many hours of the day locked away in the private collection of books and tomes owned by Edgar Barlton. It was his own personal sanctuary now. A utopia. And when he did leave, he attempted to practice any new arts he may have learned, as well as improve upon the techniques he had already known for years.

One particular technique he was very interested in was what he had termed 'shadow-stitching', or simply stitching. He theorized how well it would work years ago when he saw how many undead were losing their limbs.. He began working concentrating shadow energy into a thread-sized beam and using it to "sew" limbs together and make them stronger, as if they were never severed. And now he could not find anything on such a thing.. but he needed to further his skills with the stitching.. But how would he do so?

The forsaken looked around as he took a momentary break.. And then he looked down at his own body. He tapped his chin in thought.. Atius pulled up a chair and brought his leg up, flipping up his index claw out and with a swift swipe, the rotted flesh of his leg was slashed. The flesh spread apart and it wasn't exactly pretty, a few maggots seen inside. He snorted, flicking the larvae away then closed his eyes, his body becoming enveloped in shadow and conjured up a sliver of shadow energy.. And he began to sew the wound shut. If there are no ways to practice.. one must work with what they have on hand. Or in this case, on leg.

[Piken]

The Forsaken wrote in a small diary at a desk in the Brill inn, deep in thought as he wrote every word slowly and carefully.

"Today was quite an experience.. And while it did not end as one would have hoped, it provided me with insight on myself and my being. It seems that my mind does not react well to my shadow form in a combat situation.. Or rather, it comes along with unforeseen side-effects. I also do not react well to mental attacks. While in the form, I felt my spells to be much more concentrated and powerful, but due to my inexperience, using Shadow magic in the way I learned and practiced, it put strain on my other.. functions. I must put much concentration and mental power into my spells.. The mind is a very fragile thing. And when so deep in thought and concentration, it becomes vulnerable. And in my form, it is quite vulnerable. Too vulnerable. To the point where added mental pain and strain causes my mind and body to overreact and 'explode' in a way. My instinctive reaction is to let out a 'psychic scream' as it is deemed. It seems to be my way of dealing with the pain. Of course, shortly after the training session began earlier, I collapsed after my.. 'outburst', we'll say. I must put much thought and study into what my condition could be and work around it. If I am unstable, I am a liability. And I will not stand for such a thing."

_______________________

Days later, here he was again, the desk covered in thick tomes. And atop them was a small diary for Atius to write in..

I have learned a great deal in recent days. One thing being that my mind most definitely does not handle the strain of maintaining my shadow form well with the added strain of pain and damage control. 'Physical' damage does nothing to me, as I do not feel it. But magical damage, it causes me to have to focus heavily on maintaining control over myself and my spells, while any mental attacks, such as, but not limited to, a variety of Shadow spells in my arsenal. I believe what it is is just far too much tension and concentration required for me to handle and I essentially use the scream to channel the pain and vent the stress. I will admit, it soothes me almost immediately after, assuming there is not a lingering pain. But again, the issue comes in.. my lack of control. In an ideal situation, I will not be a target but in a realistic situation, I may very well be a large target. And this condition is quite dangerous. The 'scream' has an effect on anyone's mind who is nearby. Doing some research on the subject, it is a spell that many may know, but for me, I seem to use it on a more intimate level than a simple spell. Again, more research is required.. But I am babbling.

Back on topic; The scream affects others' minds. It has the capability of striking a type of "fear" into them, I suppose one could say. If they are unable to resist its effects, they may be rendered incapacitated for a short time. And while that may sound like a good thing, if it is used on my allies in the midst of a combat situation, it could be a VERY dangerous thing. And I will not put my allies in needless danger..

More study is required."