The Lonely Road

Mages are generally not known for their stimulating social company, usually preferring the comfortable seclusion of their towers and the companionship of books to other people. These reclusive characteristics were certainly true of one such mage, Braden Veld. 

Braden, who is said to have had a tower near Lyn, only ever ventured out to collect supplies. Within his tower, he conducted experiments on contortions and permutations of invisibility spells, aiming to eventually be able to completely obfuscate himself from the world for as long as he wished.

Driven by his consuming urge for privacy, Braden worked for many years on one particular spell, a combination of frequency shifting and invisibility. The spell Braden imagined and dedicated himself to was one that would be able to hold a living being's consciousness and essence in this frequency while shifting their physical form to a slightly different frequency.

After many years of work, Braden finally believed he had achieved his goal and was ready to test his new spell. He prepared the ritual and cast his magics, sending his physical form to a chamber made of pure Al'Noth but staying on Layonara in spirit form. His mind raced with thoughts of what he could do while in this state, and the millions of possibilities that came with completely undetectable invisibility. He quickly realized, however, that the spell was drawing too much of his power, weakening him considerably. Much to his disappointment, he realized he needed to end his attempt and he began to dispel the magics and draw his body and consciousness back together.

One thing that should be noted about the use of magic and the Al'Noth in general--is that nothing is ever certain. Magic remains an unpredictable force, even after centuries of study by some of the most gifted wizards and mages in the world. The most brilliant mind in a generation can usually say with confidence what the probable result of any given ritual or spell will be, but no one can ever say with certainty what will actually happen.

Hence, even Braden could not have foreseen that when he attempted to pull himself back from his spell, it would collapse around him. He only had time to register surprise and horror when he felt the magic collapsing in on itself before he blacked out and knew no more for a time.

Upon waking, Braden found himself still in spirit form, and there was no indication as to where his body might be. Unable to cast, he fought with his new form, reaching out to grasp objects--only to have his hands go straight through them! He could not touch, feel, smell or taste.

Stuck in his ghostly form, Braden retreated even further into his tower for some time, roaming the rooms for many years. Eventually, in growing desperation, he left his sanctuary and attempted to make contact with the villagers nearby. He tried in vain to speak with people of the town, now desperate to reach those he had so badly wanted to avoid. Exhausting his options, Braden took to the road, to wander indefinitely, looking for his body or a way to free himself of his curse.

Bards telling this particular tale often espouse the following moral: " 'Tis never folly to wish to hide, we all require our quiet moments of privacy. To be completely alone however, destroys the souls of the strongest."

It is said that Braden still wanders the paths of Mistone, never seen nor heard by any other living soul--a ghost trapped forever in his own naïve desire.

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