Viewing the Map of Boomtown

A Tale of Two Wizards (1)

This is the tale of a duel between wizards. The duel began on a bright sunny day, on a the beach behind a rustic cabin by the sea. The owner of that cabin had but recently moved in, and thought to host a simple party for a group of fiends, to celebrate and share the beauty of his home. He was but a minor practitioner of magic, as, he thought, were all his friends. He did not know he was inviting wizards, nor that they would become embroiled in a duel to the death.

The first wizard, Mas, was old, and skilled, and somewhat wise. He had lived many lifetimes, dwelt in many lands. These lifetimes of experience had made him skilled and wise, but also rather bitter. He lived alone, disguised as a human man of indeterminate age, surrounded by silalacrums and constructs from his past. He rarely practiced his art any more, save in trivial ways like making flowers grow, ensuring that his land was safe, playing jokes on his neighbors, and sometimes healing the sick.

The other wizard, Iz, was young, and less skilled than he wished, and somewhat foolish. This was but his second lifetime, and he barely knew enough to realize what skills he lacked. His joy was traveling, studying the ways of people in the lands he found, and causing them to gasp in amazement. He loved to change his shape, appearing now as a beautiful woman, now a man, a child, an animal, an object, a strange amorphous being. He flitted constantly from place to place, and marvelled at the things he found, and made the people laugh. They thought him but a clown; they did not realize that he had skills and talents far beyond what he'd yet shown. He knew those skills were there; what he did not understand was how to bring them out. Although he did not realise it, he was searching for a teacher.

The cabin owner had invited Mas because he was a neighbor. Mas came primarily because he knew a certain young lady would be there, and he was finding her amusing at the moment. He brought a fat sheep for the barbecue; it was only the simalicrum of a sheep, but he was certain no one at the party would be able to tell the difference.

When Mas arrived at the party, he placed his sheep upon the fire, poured himself a drink, and sat down in a group of people by the sea. He noted that the garden was not growing well, and gave it some encouragement. (The owner wondered later what had caused such a bountiful harvest; for the rest of his life he tried to imitate that year, with no success.) He checked the road, and found that a particularly obnoxious neighbor was approaching, someone guaranteed to drink too much and start a fight. He ensured that the obnoxious neighbor would develop a raging headache and go home very early, before he could cause trouble. He also set a love spell on the young couple seated across from him--they were both married to others, unhappy in their marriages. He did not know if they would be happier together, but at least it might stir the pot and make the neighborhood more interesting for a while.

Having thus amused himself and dealt with current matters, he settled back and waited for the young lady to arrive. (To be continued)

Lord Lunar