Cardinal's Training. (Lesson 1)

[Evil Hobgoblin]

Hob left his library and headed back to the crystal cavern. The Book of Anger remained inside his library, with several of Hob's wards placed inside to keep its' presence concealed. Anyone might come seeking it, but for now Hob had grown tired of wresting secrets from it.

He dove into the cavern's fountain and closed his eyes, relaxing. His thoughts wandered for a bit, eventually causing Hob to remember that he now had an apprentice to train.

~ Cardinal Aiyalin~ he projected. ~ If ye wish t'be trained, come to Hob's cavern now, with all due haste.~

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**Cardinal quickly enters the Hobgoblin's domain, making her way down to the beautiful underbelly. She shrugs the cloak from her face, looking around for her master.

**She dropped into a low curtsy.

"Master Hob, I have as you requested."

[Evil Hobgoblin]

(ooc) Here's the way I'm gonna do this training thing. Right now, I consider Card a Dark Side Adept. There'll be a total of ten lessons of various natures that will lead up to her getting "promoted" to a full Dark Jedi. At the heart of each lesson is something Hob wants Card to grasp that will relate to a specific power. The sooner she grasps it, the faster the training will proceed and the quicker she will get powerful. I'd prefer to let Card figure the lessons out for herself, but if I have to I'll flat tell her some of the trickier ones. Depending on how well you like what we're doing, we can shorten or lengthen the training as you like. Sound okay to you?

(ic)

Hob continues relaxing in the fountain pool. ~ Ye shall go into the other room and stack Hob's coins neatly, that he may count them. Do this until I decide otherwise.~

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

OOC: Kosher with me, boss !!

The IC post will come later.. my head hurts.. no RPing for me now.

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**She wanders into the next room and sees an unbelievable huge pile of coins. She was not that strong with the Force yet, but this seemed a good first task for her.

**She closes her eyes imagining a flame in her mind. She pushed all of her emotions inside it, except for the anger that would fuel the Force flowing through her. Upon opening her eyes, the world seemed clearer, brighter. As if a sheen of dust had been wiped away. She knew it was the Force amplifying her abilities, but it still shocked her a little. Using various Force weaves, she picks up various coins.. there seemed to be 5 different coins in the pile, so she made five different stacks.

**Using the five different threads of the Force, she picked up the coins and stacked them in neat piles, 10 high. Soon she was getting into a rhythm, the coins virtually flew from the huge pile into the neat stacks. She lost track of her surroundings, content to simply stack the coins.

[Evil Hobgoblin]

When Cardinal finishes, she hears a grunt and turns to see Hob, damp and dripping and standing at the mouth to the crystal cavern. ~ Ye have mastered this simple task, I see. Very well then- follow Hob and he shall have ye perform a task of greater magnitude.~

The two of them climb out of Hob's gallery vault and enter his closet, then walk down the hallways of Bast until they reach the front gate. Once they are outside, Hob leads Card a short ways out from the castle and turns around. He points at Bast. ~ Lift that.~

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**She gasps at the thought of lifting the entire castle.. no one could do that, or could they.

"Master.. I hate to question, but is this possible? I will throw my whole will into the task if you ask me to.. but, to life the whole castle? I do not even know how to go about it."

**The immensity of the castle boggled her mind... could it be done?

[Evil Hobgoblin]

~ Ye disbelieve, apprentice,~ Hob replies sternly. ~ Now, ye shall have proof that, with the power of the mind, all things are possible.~

Hob braces his hands and feet in the foul earth in front of Bast. He then closes his eyes. ~ Watch the castle.~

As Cardinal watches, the castle begins to tilt this way and that, as though it were a live thing straining to be free of the ground. It bursts out from the ground, sending a shower of dirt and rock down everywhere, then stops to hover a few feet above the ground. Slowly, the castle rises into the air and then stops several hundred feet up.

Cardinal blinks several times, and abruptly the illusion Hob has created in her mind fades away.

~ Through the power of the mind,~ Hob repeats. ~ All things are possible. Yer first lesson, apprentice.~

Hob gestures for her to sit on the castle steps and continues when she has. ~ Illusion is a powerful tool. Craft an image in yer mind, then project it inside the mind of yer foe. If yer foe accepts it as reality, then ye have power over them. Sometimes, ye may force yer illusion on yer enemy- others, ye must be subtle so they know not what ye do. Attempt it now, with me.~

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**She felt very foolish.. the slightest touch of a blush fused her cheeks a pale pink.

"Yes, Master" she mumbled.

**She felt the need to redeem herself.. mastering the art of illusion was an important one to her. To be able to control one's mind, illusion was the necessary first step. Using the illusion to keep the people believing they are still in control of their own minds.. until it became apparent they were totally under her control.

**She fed her emotions into a void, all emotions except her anger. She reached out towards the force, towards the Dark Side, and grasped it. The hate, the anger, the aggression flowed through her. The Dark Side amplified it, causing it to become a raging torrent.. a torrent of power. She formed an image in her mind, a simple image of a man walking towards them. The man had blond hair, and crystal green eyes. He wore a deep green cloak that flapped about his knees in the breeze. When she was satisfied the image was perfect, down to the last eyelash.. she pushes the image out towards Hob. She sensed his mind nearby. It was a crystal sphere, but it was clouded.. clouded by his use of the Dark Side. Pushing hard with the force, she penetrates the barrier.. inserting the image into his mind.

**She snapped out of her trance, hoping her illusion worked on her master. Card had begun sweating, her usual black tunic wet from the perspiration of performing something like that. Though simple to many, it was hard for a beginner. She waited, however.. waited for her master to say something.

[Evil Hobgoblin]

Hob ambled towards the walking figure and peered at it.

~ Ye are thorough in your imagery~ Hob said, regarding the illusion. ~ But ye will not fool a Force user so easily. Ye have not given the illusion any smell or sounds. Another problem with such an illusion is that it lacks a soul- something Force users are trained t' sense. Creatin' a "false soul" is a lesson for another day, however.~

Hob points towards a small ship in the distance. ~ Ye must go and practice creatin' illusions. Do not return until ye have someone with ye whom ye have captured using this power.~

[Cardinal Aiyalin]

**She bows her head, and starts to head towards the ship.

"You will not be disappointed Master"