Is this the place? He could tell there was something in there. Something with a lot of dark magic. The shadow of it was overbearing. His curiosity got the better of him and he wanted to take a look and see it for himself. Hylltywyll found himself looking through the window of a building on the edge of Darkveil City. It had a slight resemblance to a church, which didn't make Hylltywyll like the place at all. He had a bad experience that started in a church once... But, this didn't seem to actually be a place of worship. No, it looked like some kind of... group home?

Why are there so many children? There were surprisingly few adults walking around, but children were all over the place. Hylltywyll peeked through a window, watching for a while as he tried to get a better read on where that source of dark magic was. It was somewhere in there, he could feel it.

SPOILER: Click to show

-Blessing Quest-
You can obtain another Acolyte's player-made blessing by completing this quest. In order to complete this quest you must start a topic and roleplay with another character containing the Acolyte prestige class (they do not have to be the one who created the art).
Your topic must be about you and the other acolyte learning or acquiring the desired Blessing, whether through study or prayer. The specifics are entirely up to you, but the thread must include the blessing's acquisition. You must make five posts each with a minimum of 150 words. Once you have completed this quest you can turn it in Sales Counter and add the desired Blessing.
You must complete this quest each time you wish to learn a new Blessing from the table.

Cyran was grateful to be home.

He was not as young as he used to be; even the past two years had aged him… far more than he expected. In the wake of his exile, when he’d had to take to the road for survival, he’d never been so exhausted. Now, in the wake of Vulcadreus’s attempted destruction, even a few months of travel left him world weary and much closer to a walking corpse than a mortal man.

It was why he was glad to be home, uneasy as the peace was.

The children were certainly happier for it, and that made everything worthwhile. They’d commanded his attention almost nonstop since his return, and he was more than happy to entertain the little darlings. This, at least, gave him a sense of satisfaction. That he was doing something right in the world.

It had been a regular enough day - at least until he felt the stirring.

It was little more than a niggling in the corner of his vision. At first, he thought it a figment of his imagination. But after the danger that had come from cultists poking around where they did not belong…

One could not be too careful.

The elven man paused, allowing the picture book he’d been reading to fall slack in his grip, glancing up at the window.^[1]

There.

Something in the windowsill - the movement slight enough that he almost missed it. It could have been nothing.

The retired assassin did not place his trust in uncertainties.

He blinked, and began to pull himself out of the couch, back aching from the movement. He really was getting too old for this. At the same time, his shadow took form and manifested as a proper facsimile of himself in the space he’d left behind. All the while, the elven man blended into the shadows cast by the dim firelight.^[2,3]

With any luck, the swap would appear almost seamless.

Someone particularly observant might notice that something was wrong, but hopefully they’d spend enough time puzzling out what had just happened, Cyran would already have slipped into the darkness of the alley from the wall nearby, addressing the potential threat directly.^[4]

“Whoever you are, it would be in your best interests to leave, now - a haven for children is no place to enact an agenda. I’ll not have any more trouble on my doorstep, thank you very much.”

---

1. Shadow Sight
2. Shadow Clone
3. Dark Form
4. Create Door

"Huh?"

Hylltywyll looked over his shoulder to see the old guy that he'd seen sitting in the chair by the fire inside. He glanced again at the seated figure before turning around to face what must be the real one. Either that, or a twin who liked to wear the exact same clothes as the other and had all the same exact scars.

"Agenda? I wasn't here to enact some agenda. I was just looking for someone with some strong dark magic, and I found them. Or, I guess they found me." Hylltywyll replied with a chuckle, his demeanor calm and collected.

He didn't like someone else sneaking up on him, but he wasn't entirely surprised. He was dealing with someone else that had powerful dark magic, and some sneakiness usually came with the territory. He would just keep his annoyance to himself. This guy was already threatening him just for being here, so being standoffish wouldn't help. If it did come to a fight, he was sure he could at least get away if he couldn't defeat them. He had plenty of tricks up his poncho.

"Who are you? Maybe I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours." He added, pointing a finger at the man.

Even being a member of the winged expeditionary force it was difficult to tell what kind of creature this was. They could speak; they possessed intelligence. Not to mention their first instinct, when cornered by Cyran, was not to attack, but to converse.

In fact, they seemed rather… calm.

Cyran did not make any further moves. Nor did he relax. He was not visibly armed, but that could all change in a second if this went south. Despite his initial reaction, though, the creature did not seem to be particularly aggressive.

It helped that Cyran could pluck lies from the truth, and spot the absence of them, in the words of others.^[1] And this creature truly did not seem to be here with any other intentions besides that which the darkness promised.

“A dark magic user?” Cyran’s brows furrowed. He supposed he fit that bill, but… to be found so easily by another was disconcerting. “There’s no point in denying it when you were the one that found me first.” He was no fool; overly sentimental at times, but practical. He did not need to beat around the bush when evidently, this creature found him as easily as following a trail of breadcrumbs.

Now came the more important question. What did they need with an umbramancer?

Cyran blinked as a finger was pointed in his face.

Well, they were… direct. And frank. Cyran did not dislike that. He opened his mouth, hesitating for a brief moment. He was not the most cautious man about giving his name away, when he could just steal the memory of it from their brain if need be, but it was still risky.

“You can call me Cyran.” He murmured. “I don’t know if I’d consider myself strong, but I do possess the magic you’re looking for. What can I help you with…?” He trailed off, waiting for them to offer their own name in turn.

---

1. Insight Rune

"You can call me Hylltywyll." He introduced himself simply, purposefully mimicking Cyran's language.

He looked at Cyran cynically. Saying his magic wasn't strong. That was a lie, or possibly just a sad case of self doubt. The latter wasn't Hyll's problem, but he didn't like being lied to. He could sense the magic in Cyran and knew just how powerful it was. Not as strong as his own magic, but pretty up there. He could also sense a strong hint of space domain, but it wasn't as pronounced as the dark magic in him. He had that dark in him, and Hylltywyll knew it.

With a small wave of his fingers beneath his poncho and some murmured words, Hylltywyll cast a couple of spells to make sure Cyran wasn't trying to trick him. He was still sure he'd be able to escape easily, but you could never be too cautious.

He held a finger to his chin and thought for a moment before smiling and pointing at Cyran again.

"Hmm. Maybe we can help each other. Teach me something fun and maybe I can teach you something in return. You must have some interesting dark magic to share. How about that?"

---

Detect Lies
Naughty or Nice

“Hylltywyll.” Cyran repeated with a nod. “What can I help you with, then?”

Layers upon layers of truth-seeking magic might give Hylltywyll a better understanding of Cyran’s own intentions. infuriatingly enough, it seemed he truly did not believe himself strong. Skilled, perhaps, he might use for himself - though he seemed genuinely surprised that Hylltywyll had sought a powerful presence and found him of all people.

He straightened to his full height, eyes narrowed, aware that Hylltywyll had cast a spell on him - he could hear the creature murmuring, though he could not quite make out the words - though it did not seem offensive in nature, so he let it slide for the time being. Cyran was not the kind of person to attack first and ask questions later. Hylltywyll did not seem the type to provoke when he knew it might end badly for him. So for now, he’d let the creature do what they needed to feel comfortable.

The answer to his question admittedly came as a bit of a surprise.

“You want to… learn from me?” Huh. Well, he was a teacher to two apprentices, though neither of them possessed any magical inclinations, so that was not ever a skill he’d had to teach anyone. Cyran had been the one to implement his own rigid self control; wrest knowledge from the wild and untamable landscape of the realm of shadow and learn to harness it. Never before had he tried to impart that knowledge to someone besides himself. Never before had he wanted to. The dark domain was a fickle thing, and possessed the reputation it had for a reason. Cyran would never want to wish the terror it wrought upon any of his loved ones.

Hylltywyll was a different matter. Already clearly skilled, and had actively sought him out looking for… well. Fun. Knowledge? As far as Cyran could piece together, the creature was likely looking to satiate his own curiosity above all else. Now, in what world could Cyran conceivably conjure something perceived to be fun?

“I… suppose I could,” Cyran murmured, “Though I’m not sure what you’re even interested in learning. I am not opposed to an exchange of information, of sorts.” He would never turn away the chance to acquire a new skill. Now the question was what in the world he’d even teach. Cyran pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed in. He glanced towards his window, where the shade was wrapping up and moving to put the kids down for a nap before disappearing itself. “What is it you can do? What is it you’d like to learn to do?”

Hyll shrugged. He wasn't really sure what he wanted Cyran to teach him either. He hadn't expected to teach or be taught when he went sniffing out that source of dark magic he detected. Maybe he would have a snack, or see something interesting creature. But, this could be interesting too. He was mostly self taught when it came to all his magic, so learning something from someone else for a change could be fun.

Hmph. It wasn't a real deal. "Not opposed to" is not an "I agree" or a "Deal". He needed an explicit agreement to the deal for it to actually be binding, but he also hadn't come here with making any deals in mind either. And with his magic, he didn't detect any lies or attempts to trick him. This Cyran guy was earnestly interested a fair exchange.

Now, Hylltywyll just needed to figure out what he'd be giving as part of that exchange. Not something too powerful that could be used against him, but also not something too weak that he'd look bad. It also had to be dark magic and not light magic, so he couldn't go and teach Cyran a healing spell. Hmmmm, he might have something fun he could offer.

"I can do lots of things. I'll show you one of them." He said with a devilish smile as he move one of his hands out from under his poncho and revealed a claw-like accessory on his left middle finger. It looked like a silver metal gauntlet, but only a single finger of it, and tipped with a sharp point.

Ah, he didn't use this thing often. He preferred to use magic that he could simply cast himself, but some of his magics required a focus of sorts and this finger claw was that focus. A physical object manifested by his connection to the dark. He hopped down from the window and scurried to a more open area for the demonstration, expecting Cyran to follow behind him.

The claw began to glow with a soft purple light and Hylltywyll held it up and gestured for Cyran to come at him.

"Try and attack me."

---

Vestige of Light
Blessing of Trickery

Unfortunately for Hylltywyll, Cyran had dealt with enough criminal masterminds throughout his lifetime - and fae on top of it - that he was not likely to enter any sort of agreement without his knowledge, if he was careful. Cyran was only mortal, though. He was prone to making mistakes.

Like this very moment; there was no way to tell whether by engaging with the little creature, Cyran had inadvertently signed up for more than he could chew. Or a bargain which he could not fulfill. Worry gnawed at him, but he suppressed the anxiety as the creature brought forth an artificial claw, sharpened steel and clear as silver.

A demonstration?

He tilted his head to the side while Hylltywyll offered little in the way of explanation. An attack… he could do that. So long as Hylltywyll knew how to dodge.

Darkness stirred and coalesced in the palm of his waiting hand, as if ready to answer his call before he even understood the need.^[1]

It was not Spell Slicer or Cold Steel - those blades were too tainted with memories. This one was tainted with his dark magic. A weapon which more resembled a shard of glass than a weapon forged of steel and human efforts. He spun it in his hand, raising his arm so he held it in a backhanded grip.

“Okay, if you are certain… here I go…”

He still telegraphed and pulled his punches as he moved anyways.

---

1. Summon: Possession - Darkheart (Acolyte Vestige)

"I'm certain."

Hylltywyll didn't move as Cyran brandished his dagger. He sat patiently, waiting for Cyran to attack. He could see the man's reluctance to hit him. Funny, considering he'd threatened him just minutes ago. Looked like this old guy was a real softy. He was even making his moves obvious, probably expecting the small Fae to need to dodge and giving him ample opportunity. Hylltywyll smirked and stuck his tongue out at Cyran, hoping to taunt an attack out of him.

The dull purple light lit up the area around Hylltywyll, enveloping the whole alleyway and Cyran. It was barely visible in the moonlight, but it was there. Strangely, the shadow beneath Hylltywyll didn't seem affected by the glow at all. Hylltywyll was confident in the protection of his aura, but he was cautious and kept a way out just in case. His magic was still telling him Cyran wasn't lying or trying to cause him harm either.

As soon as Cyran attempted to take a single step within the pale aura, he felt disoriented for a moment before realizing he had stepped in the exact opposite direction he'd been attempting to. A step to the left- he stepped right. One step forw- backward.

"I'm still waiting." Hylltywyll taunted with an innocent smile.

---

Vestige of Light
Blessing of Trickery

Well, if he was positively certain…

Cyran brandished Darkheart, light on his feet, practiced in the art of attacking and killing. Still, even though Hylltywyll seemed absolutely confident in his skills, Cyran remained cautious. There was a reason why, when sparring, he only used fake blades. Far easier to eliminate the possibility of injury when he could not pull his punches in the heat of battle. Now, he moved slowly, like a cat who’d yet to determine whether their mark was predator or prey. A slowness that would cost him, as he stepped into the light - no, stepped out of it - stepped in, stepped in.

Cyran frowned. He did not get closer to Hylltywyll, not with the smug expression the little creature wore. Clearly, he had something up his sleeve. Instead, Cyran stepped to the left.

No, the right.

What?

Cyran frowned. Clearly, this was some sort of machination on Hylltywyll’s behalf to confuse Cyran before Cyran could so much as land a hit on him. But was it based on sight, or intention? There was only one way to find out. Cyran closed his eyes, raising Darkheart and slashing within a circular motion - difficult to get directions turned around when you moved like a spinning disk… hopefully, right in Hylltywyll’s direction.^[1]

And he missed.

Cyran stopped, eye wide as he tried to find Hylltywyll. His brain felt muddled trying to parse together where he’d turned or what he’d done.

“How are you doing that?”

---

1. Cyran’s Haunting Blade

The corners of Hylltywyll's turned upward slightly, the tiny tusks there barely rising as he enjoyed watching Cyran's confusion. He watched the man with the dagger take stances and attempt to move one way or the other, only to stop and wonder why he had moved in the opposite direction than he'd meant to. Hylltywyll loved causing chaos and confusion. It was too bad it was only the one opponent stuck in his magic. Maybe he could ask the guy to let all those kids inside try to reach him. He could already picture the chaotic scene of them all bumping into each other as they tried to move and had their senses of direction flipped. Maybe some would even cry.

Hylltywyll's smirk grew as he watched Cyran try to spin toward him, as if that wouldn't be affected by his sense of direction, but instead of spinning toward Hylltywyll, or even in his direction, he just spun directly away from the Fae he was targeting, toward a lamp post. The maneuver was doomed to fail from the start. He still needed to aim his spin toward Hyll in the first place, and in his aura, that wasn't happening.

"I said to try to hit me, not that lamp post, you know." Hylltywyll taunted smugly, pointing at the lamp that Cyran had beybladed toward.

He held up the finger claw and the glow began to fade, the aura around him disappearing.

"Before I explain, it's your turn to show me something."

Cyran stared at the lamppost before glancing back at Hylltywyll, not bothering to hide his bewilderment. So closing one’s eyes did not detract from the effect. Curious. What if he attempted to attack the lamppost instead in an attempt to reach Hylltywyll? But - no, that would surely count as an intent to attack the little creature all the same. But then where would Cyran go? If it was as simple as moving in the opposite direction, then it would be an easy enough trick to circumvent. But get enough people in here…

It would be complete mayhem.

Cyran straightened, pursing his lips in thought. If Hylltywyll was going to wait to see something good before answering, then Cyran had to repay back what he was owed. He already had a fairly decent idea of how to replicate the effect, anyways.

The Dark Domain - world of shadow and dreams - it was where thought and feeling went to die. It was as if Hylltywyll was robbing Cyran of his sense of direction, the same way Cyran stole memories from others.

All for the sake of sowing confusion.

If it was a thief and a trickster Cyran was dealing with, then he had just the thing.

“Very well.” He hummed, tapping at his chin. “Just give me a second. For mine, I shall need assistants for this.”

It would not take him long to return to the alley with two masked apprentices in tow; neither of whom Hylltywyll would be able to sense a lick of magic from. Yet, as Cyran brandished Darkheart in his hand, the light in the air around them seemed to dim and die, as if someone had snuffed out a candle. Even though it was still the middle of the day, it was as if the raw arcane energy within Cyran had been extended outwards - giving him complete dominion of the dark they’d found themselves in.^[1]

“Oriole. Andromeda.” He inclined his head towards his apprentices, who stood on either side of him.

On his command, Andromeda raised her finger and shot out a beam of sickening dark energy in Hylltywyll’s direction.^[2] Not close enough to hit him but enough to be concerning. Her aim, as sharp as if she’d been throwing one of her blades. At the same time, Oriole would lunge, shadowy claws forming on his fingers that cut through the air as he swiped.^[3]

“I’d assume these manipulations are basic enough you should be able to perform them easily, no? Try to do the same thing as one of them.”

He’d find, when he attempted, that he couldn’t - that Cyran’s own manipulation of the darkness had thoroughly tipped the scales in his favor, all while stealing Hylltywyll’s own power from him.

---

1. Blessing of the Overbearing Shadow
2. Chaos Bolt - Andromeda (can no longer be used by enemies)
3. Death Swipe - Oriole (can no longer be used by enemies)

Hylltywyll shrugged and waited patiently for Cyran to return with his assitants. If it made the demonstration easier for him to understand and replicate, then it was fine. He was amused when he finally returned with a couple of children in tow. At least, in comparison to Cyran, they were children, and in comparison to Hylltywyll, so was the Elf man.

He observed with interest as the magic spread from Cyran, the dagger acting as a focus for the magic like Hylltywyll's finger claw had for his. He could sense the power emanating from it, and curiously, being shared with the two assistants. Sharing with others wasn't really something Hylltywyll did much, but he still watched the technique and learned.

He glared at Andromeda as the beam she shot passed, coming close to hitting him. He'd like to see her try that again while he was using the aura he just demonstrated for Cyran. Oriole also used a spell, though this one didn't come close to hitting Hylltywyll.

He raised an eyebrow at Cyran and looked to the two assistants. The spell Andromeda used, he had never used before, though he was sure he could pick it up if he tried. It didn't look difficult. The one Oriole used was simple enough as well. Making some claws out of darkness. He already had one claw on one of his fingers to base the rest on, so he chose to copy that one.

He raised his hands and willed his magic to form the shadowy claws. For a moment, it looked like they would form without any trouble, as expected, but then the shadows refused to listen and the claws dispersed.

"Huh?" He let out a small noise of annoyance and tried again, but the result was the same.

He looked at Cyran with scrutiny. He was a master of dark magic. The shadows should have formed some claws for him as easily as breathing, but they just wouldn't. It had to be an effect of the man's magic. Giving his magic to others wasn't much of Hylltywyll's style, but stealing it from others was. This aura suddenly seemed a lot more interesting.

Cyran did not miss the stirring of the darkness around him as Hylltywyll tried to wrest control of the ambient magic in the still, nighttime air. Normally, a master of trickery and misdirection such as him would have succeeded. But it was the presence of Cyran’s aura - the blanket of smothering, oppressive dark silence - that prevented Hylltywyll from drawing upon the font of dark magic within himself.

Cyran’s only visible eye sparkled with the ghost of mischief at Hylltywyll’s scrutiny. He was not a trickster like the little fellow, but he had his fun here and there.

“The aura concentrates your mastery of the dark domain within you and then extends it outwards. For as long as you can maintain it, you control which of your allies make use of the shadow’s blessings. And you can decide which of your enemies,” He pointed at Hylltywyll, “cannot access your own.”

It took a lot out of him to maintain, though. Cyran could already feel the fatigue creeping into his chest like clawed fingers reaching between his ribs and scooping his heart hollow. It was a disconcerting feeling.

“There are a few limitations… as far as I can tell.” He said as he dispelled the aura, the night returning to day once more. “The blessing only extends to your own power. You cannot stop enemies from casting spells which you yourself cannot perform. But when used practically, it is helpful in a pinch.”

Hylltywyll was already thinking about how to copy the magic, idly tapping the point of his metal claw on his fuzzy chin as his mind swam with the possibilities. His eyes focused on Cyran as he went on explaining, and Hylltywyll listened, connecting his quickly crafted theories with Cyran's words. This was a complicated magic, like the one he had demonstrated. An aura that would require the use of a focus. His claw should work for this one as well. It didn't seem too difficult to get with a little practice now that he knew how it worked.

Well, he supposed Cyran's explanation deserved one of his own.

"The aura I showed you also extends to allies, and doesn't affect them if you don't want it to. It uses the shadows to trick and deceive. Like someone lost in the dark with no way to see, they get turned around and lose their sense of direction. It disorients them and makes them move the opposite direction they meant to." Hylltywyll explained and then pointed to Cyran with a smile. "As you experienced." He said with a chuckle.

"It also confuses friends and foes. You were alone, so your attack was just reversed. If either of these two had been here, your attack would have been redirected toward one of them." He said, now pointing his claw at Andromeda and Oriole with a mischievous smile.