The lounge was quite busy at this time. It seemed patrons came here to socialize and enjoy a hearty meal, whether or not they were residents. There were four great long tables, with about twelve seats each, and most of them were full. He saw who he assumed to be Miss Jolly; A tall, severe-looking woman in her 30’s with her muddy-colored hail pulled back from her face and a rather dirty apron over her dress. She was bringing out bowls of thick white soup and setting baskets of bread on the large tables. Her brow was sweaty, and she came toward Aelfric, almost shouting. “Pick a seat, young man! it’s potatoes ham soup tonight”. She hurries to his left back into the kitchen.
Aelfric looked about, hoping to see a familiar face. None of Arcus’ patients seemed to be about, so he chose a table where four men in cloaks sat at the end together. There was an empty seat next to the group, so Aelfric sat down.
“Good evening,” he said as the four men looked up.
“Very good,” said the first.
“Quite right,” said the second
“And to you said the third.
“Mfff,” said the fourth. The first man offered his hand to Aelfric and said,
“Good to meet you, sir.” Aelfric shook the man’s hand, and he continued,
“I’m Davis, that’s Montgaff, and Gill and that bugger on end are Elhern. Don’t mind, Elhern. He’s stuck on some problem or another, and we can’t expect much personality out of him until he figures it out”.
“A problem?” asked Aelfric,
“Is he a scholar?”.
“Of sorts, my young man, of sorts. Elhern has delved deep into the study of Alchemy. He is the best, no doubt, but it makes him dreadfully dull”, said Davis, gesturing at Elhern’s furrowed brow and vacant eyes.
“Are you all Alchemists?” asked Aelfric curiously. He had never met an alchemist before.
“Me? An alchemist! HA! No, I’m afraid I haven’t the patience for such things. All of my splendid powers are one hundred percent natural, arcane magic,” Davis said proudly.
“And that would make you…”
” A Witch! Dear….”
“Aelfric,” he filled in.
“Ah, nice to make your acquaintance, young Aelfric. Yes, as I say, I’m A Witch, born into magic and not a drop of tolerance for hard work or alchemical problems”. Davis smiled proudly. The man named Montgaff rolled his eyes.
” He speaks the truth,” said Montgaff, “the rest of us must study, work, and toil to achieve the skills of our trades, but lucky Davis was indeed born into it.”
” Are you a witch too?” asked Aelfric, delighted to have sparked such an exciting conversation already.
” Afraid not,” said Montgaff, ” Sorcerer, through and through. Not a drop of natural ability here. Hard work, ritual, and brief dalliances with the spirit world are what fire my craft.
” That’s very interesting,” said Aelfric, thinking he had indeed sat at the right table.
” And you Gill? What is your trade?”. Gill looked up from his steaming bowl of soup and said,
” I’m a Priest of the Sofux order.”
” What does a priest do?” Aelfric had never met a priest before. He had heard of Priestesses of Mar, who would help crop yields, fill dried wells, and keep cattle healthy. Never had he heard of Sofux Priests.
” We are a governing body of sorts, we mostly deal with spells gone wrong, or we undo illegal magic. We banish daemons and undead, or we reverse necromantic magics. Our God spirit Suffix is the entity of order, peace, and rest, within the cosmos. It affords us domain over chaos, conflict, and the unnatural.” Finished Gill.
” Most pleased to meet all four of you,” Aelfric said genuinely.
” And what brings you to Mrs. Shiff’s, young Aelfric?” Said Davis, who he could tell was the most outgoing of the four men.
” I’ve rented lodgings here while I study as an apprentice Healer with Master Arcus. Have you heard of him?”.
” Heard of Arcus? You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in this city who hasn’t. Treated me for terrible headaches when I first came to Wivern’s Rest. Witches come into their magic around 15, you see, and that’s when the headaches started. A witch’s power comes from the mind”, he pointed to his temple.
“It was painful, but Arcus had me sorted out in a few days. I haven’t had a headache since! Well, unless Jolly gets generous with the Brandy”, he smiled and smashed cups with Aelfric.
” Try the ale boy! Best in the city. Long as you can keep your cool and don’t cause trouble, Jolly keeps it coming. But, put one toe out of line, and it’s out the front door and never allowed back! I did the spell myself; once Jolly or Shiff gives you the boot, there’s no getting back in and no more of that delicious ale for you.” He finished, seriously.
“Why does she dislike salesmen so much?” Aelfric figured if Davis had done work for Mrs. Shiff, he would probably know more.
“Oh, that! Well, if you ask Shiffy, she’ll say they’re no good, unskilled hacks who make a living peddling other people’s accomplishments for inflated prices. The truth is, I think the older man has a bit of a problem handling coins. No matter what you’re selling, old Mr. Shiff wants to give it a go-obsessed with staying current. Silly old drunk, but the kindest man you ever did meet. That’s him just there”, finished Davis, pointing quickly to an older man seated at the head of one of the tables, pouring ale for a friend with his big blue eyes glassy and his belly hanging over the table.
” He seems entertaining,” said Aelfric. Thinking it odd that Mrs. Shiff specifically warned him not to drink too much, but everyone seemed to be partaking heavily, especially Mr. Shiff.
” Why does the sign say no drunkards if, as you say, Mr. Shiff is a heavy drinker.”
” Oh, he’s harmless, keeps people in good spirits, never rude, always makes it up to bed on his own. She doesn’t want any rowdy characters in here starting brawls and breaking furniture or keeping the upstairs guests awake”.
“That’s very considerate of her.”Aelfric was starting to have a comical sort of appreciation for his new home and the myriad of interesting people he was discovered within its walls.
The five men drank ale and finished their soups and crusts of bread. Aelfric was interested to learn about the very different sorts of magic at work in the world. Though he had yet to practice even the simplest of healing spells, he found himself mesmerized by Montgaff’s in-depth explanation of how a sorcerer masters the natural elements through intense ritual and practice, gaining domain over the earth, fire, water, air, And even certain aspects of the void. He communed with the elemental spirits, whose favor granted him some fantastic abilities.
The priest gill explained that Davis’ magic was arcane, Montgaff’s elemental, and Devine. A God spirit bestows device magic. A God spirit is an individualization of an aspect of what priests called the Great Spirit. The great spirit encompassed everything and being so vast, and it used God spirits as its many faces. Sox was the face of order, Mar, the beginning of fertility, and so on.
Aelfric was interested to learn that, contrary to his original notions, witches are not creatures of ritual, sacrifice, and potion. Their powers are of the mind. They can move objects with their minds, pick up on the thoughts and feelings of others, and even imbue inanimate objects with certain minor forms of consciousness. The spells that Davis concocts are essentially collaborations with his three comrades. However, he seemed to always get the credit and praise for the group’s magical feats.
After a couple of hours of ale and conversation, Aelfric excused himself to his room. His head was buzzing mildly, and he felt warm, content, and as if he was on the brink of some incredible transformation. He slept easily, dizzily reading one of Arcus’ assigned books as he drifted off.