#Lore24 – Entry #226 – Helica Month #14 – Separating the Strong from the Weak

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

When it comes to summoners and their Crusades, I was told by Esekia upon our arrival on the island of Vallalava that Cinza had a way of separating the weak from the strong.  Like the element of fire with which he is associated, the Amaranth is very temperamental and hard to tame.  Sometimes his displeasure with a summoner’s attempts to tame him even translates to the volcano the island is known for, which will belch smoke and send tremors through the surrounding jungle and village.  Those summoners who are not secure in their mastery of the art will often find their Crusades ending upon the slopes of Mount Vallalava within the Amaranth’s temple.  Though there are officially no limits to the number of attempts a summoner may make to tame the Amaranth, those who must try twice are looked down upon as weak in faith, and those who must try a third time are regarded as failures even if they succeed, finding their journeys ahead much more difficult as word spreads of their weakness of spirit.

Thus far, there are no records of any summoners of note surpassing the challenge on four or more attempts.

Even the journey to Cinza’s temple is often fraught with danger, for while there is an established path through the jungle, there are wild beasts that can suddenly attack an unwary party, and there are several river crossings that can be flooded or have their bridges washed out, resulting in significant delays.  Very much the contrast to the temple at Ukejama, though certainly fitting given the Amaranth’s temperament.

With these worries firmly in mind, Esekia would nonetheless await his turn, watching as many summoners would struggle and fail to tame Cinza on their first try, losing face amongst their peers as they sequestered themselves within the private chambers of the temple to reaffirm their faith in Phyresis and bolster their will for a second attempt. 

I would spend time practicing my own magic with Zubayr in the jungle near to the temple (there were so many summoners and Stalkers about that there was little need for us to be by Esekia constantly, and it would be several days before he would make his attempt).  During the course of this latest training, I would make use of a staff obtained from a trader in the village, as I would likely not find a runic blade outside of the mainland, perhaps in San Granalle, though since its destruction, that was unlikely.  Still, I hard progressed far enough along that I could successfully hit my targets with focused magic, qualifying as having mastered the basic rank of elemental attack spells.  Zubayr was satisfied with my progress, though he remarked that the strength he sensed within me had increased at a faster pace than normal.  Again, I wondered if this was due to the blessing I had been bestowed.