A bitter guardian

Thanksgiving is over, but that's only the prelude to the holiday season. Now Christmas shopping is in full swing, the weather has turned very brisk, and the city is in full winter mode. Even on a weekday, the streets are crowded with shoppers, and the coffee shop is busy, too.

Horvath has proven easy enough to reach by email, and agreeable to meeting at the coffee shop of her choosing, offering to bring a few books along. Now, though, he's late, albeit only by ten minutes or so. When he does come in, he looms in the doorway a little, a tall, bulky figure made even bigger by a long winter coat and scarf. He's got a leather satchel, and his cane, and once he spots her he still has to get over to her table. Of course he could just bully his way through the crowd waiting to order their fancy drinks and get on with their shopping, but instead he takes the route of trying to make his large frame take up as little space as possible, squeezing through gaps in the massed patrons with mumbled apologies and a rocking limp. By the time he gets to the table, he's slightly out of breath and flustered.

So much for making a good impression.

(Continued from here...)

After tea, of course, and a quick trip home to collect what he needs, Horvath returns to Anna ready to make a trip to the astral plane. He's returned with a bag, and spends a few minutes puttering with dried things in jars and tins, making a sort of potpourri in a stone bowl that's already blackened inside. He does pull a heavy magic tome out of thin air, consulting it briefly with reading glasses perched on his crooked nose.

"All right. Chairs, or floor?" The book is gently vanished back to wherever it came from, and he looks for a good patch of open floor space for the ritual circle.

The Obvious Maxim Horvath is both tall and broad, 6'3" with a build that's a strange mix of stocky and lanky. He's barrel-chested and definitely overweight, but he's also got very long arms and legs, and a generally big frame under the extra padding. He has a rocking limp and uses a cane to walk, but it's more for balance than actual support and unless someone is very observant it's hard to tell that it's his left leg he's favoring. He appears to be somewhere in his late forties to early fifties, with a hint of grey in his beard and at his temples. More than once he's been mistaken for some kind of professor, and he tends to dress in slightly outdated three-piece suits, or at least slacks, oxford shirts, and a vest. His clothes are tailored, but a little bit threadbare just because they're old. He also has reading glasses, which he'll pull out if needed, so that contributes to the professorial look. The most striking thing about Horvath's wardrobe are his rings; On most days there's one on every finger except his wedding ring finger. All of them are on the heavy side, mostly ornate, and have some gemstone or another. The least he's ever seen with is two, one on his right hand set with a blue translucent stone, maybe a sapphire, and an additional ring of one kind or another. He wears no other jewelry, as a general rule. Horvath has a deep, expressive voice and a British/European accent (True Brits will hear hints that he's traveled). He's an eloquent speaker and he likes to talk, and has a slightly sarcastic, dry wit. On the surface of things, he's usually friendly and easy to have a conversation with, but he also doesn't like to go into emotional topics or the details of his own history. Horvath can be dour and serious, if he's not on a cheerful topic. He doesn't deal well with overly emotional people, tending to flounder and/or retreat in a hurry. The Less Obvious To those sensitive to these things, Horvath is a sorcerer of not inconsiderable power. He was a student of Merlin, and is over 1,450 years old. There is a spell set on him by Merlin which keeps him from aging (mostly) until Morgana is destroyed, but he's not invulnerable or impossible to kill. His rings are (yes all of them) magic in nature, but some have different uses than others. The ring on his right hand with the blue stone is his personal talisman, and he usually has at least a couple of rings that store quick-use magic shield spells. If it comes up in a fight or some other action sequence, Horvath is missing his left leg from just a few inches below the knee. The prosthesis is fairly modern, metal and plastic and made to match his other leg realistically, but it doesn't bend much at the ankle. He can't feel it, of course, and his balance is a little iffy because of that, but he can walk a short distance without the aid of a cane. OOC Permissions, etc. Important note for those expecting the movie version of Maxim Horvath: This Horvath is an AU version! Please see the Au info link below for more. Horvath is also played as familiar with a multiversal nexus (dear_multiverse from back on LJ) and has continuity from that, including a friendship with a pre-movie canon Balthazar Blake. I am generally down for action/fight scenes as long as there is no god-moding involved. Mun and muse are over the age of 18 and then some. If you have any OOC questions, just send me a message! AU Info ~ Character Survey of Doom

Additional Links:
Ambient sound environment of Horvath's Library.
All artwork copyright Rey 2014 Larger version here.

What keeps you going? Somewhat maudlin of me, perhaps, but it's a question I've found myself asking all too many times.

(Continued from here.)
Some artifacts are lost to the mists of time for good reason, and this holds even more true for items surrounded by myth and legend. Those relics built up by false legends, which only fall apart under the scrutiny of modern reason, spread disillusionment in the world. Those surrounded by real magic, on the other hand, are even more dangerous uncovered, with the inherent risk of falling into the wrong hands.

The eldest of Merlin's apprentices has been around more than long enough to know the difference, and it is the latter kind he seeks. He did not set out, long ago, to become protector to an ever-growing vault's worth of dangerous magical items, but his master entrusted him with two objects that must be closely guarded, so what difference does it make to watch over a few more? Maxim Horvath was raised to use his magic to protect humanity, from themselves, if need be. The artifact he is chasing down now he would destroy if he finds a means to do so safely. Some items have their redeeming qualities, and thus are stored and guarded, but this object can be used only for ill. It is a cup, more properly a chalice, enchanted to accept a ritual that marks a specific human target and will deliver a poisoned drink to them alone. That anyone else may drink safely, and examine the chalice without finding any trace of toxins, makes it the ideal weapon for an untraceable assassination. The design is archaic, now, but to illusion the chalice into appearing as a more modern drinking vessel would be the least of tasks for any sorcerer of merit. The chalice only came to his attention involved in rumors of a Morganian assassination plot, and while he'd prefer to keep out of world politics, Horvath feels a duty to keep the Morganian influence out of them, as well.

There are three separate reports of the last sighting of the chalice, and each one more or less rules out the other two as being plausible. With the Morganians spotted poking around two of these possibilities, and the third option out of reach, Horvath is forced to pursue all avenues. He is not without allies, but they are fewer than once they were, and he has left a handful to guard the crypt that may contain the chalice. Alone he's come to race against his enemies down the other path of possibilities, and found an unexpected assistant in Dr. Evangeline Nix. Her curiosity strikes him as both dangerous and useful, but as long as she is of aid he can hardly turn down the offer. Thus far she has gained him access to a library with some very helpful resources, and offered to use her own contacts to research the auction houses the chalice may have recently passed through, unrecognized. Horvath can only hope the Morganians have not been so lucky. A day or so later, he's agreed to meet up with Dr. Nix in a teahouse to discuss what she may have turned up. He's chosen an out-of-the-way table, and wrapped it in a subtle sound-shielding spell to prevent any potential spies overhearing, but it still makes him nervous to meet with her in public. By being seen with him, she may be put at risk, and he knows it.

Interesting conversation... any student of Mammy Pleasant is one to watch out for.

Evening drinks, on a client's recommendation.