A thin, androgynous figure with hair the color of dandelion fluff sits beneath the shade of a towering tree. A small but well-maintained dirt road snakes past, winds up a hill, and halts a polite distance from the gatehouse to a great castle. The tree itself would be an impressive landmark, enormous as it is, but it is overshadowed by the castle, which can be seen from leagues around on a clear day. Its residents, the dandelion-haired one among them, might describe it as "looming comfortingly." Visitors unfamiliar with the castle might merely say that it looms.
"Liga vulnere," enunciates Steorran, carefully, tracing a line on their palm. They watch intently as the small scratch on their palm knits together, all but vanishing. A faint trace remains, twinkling faintly like the trail of a comet. Steorran watches it for a few moments more, to be sure. Corpus spells such as this were outside their usual focus, and such spells could be tricky to learn. Steorran had originally planned to stick to the Mentem and scrying lines of spells, but the Consummatus Fumigans had access to such useful magic that Steorran simply had to learn a bit of it.
Steorran considered the spell a success, though not their best work. Their long study in the Technique of Creo had been helpful in learning this magic - at second magnitude, it was unusually difficult for an introductory spell. Given the rather niche focus of the Consummatus, though, and the sheer usefulness of even temporary healing spells, Steorran supposed it was worth the extra effort. It was a pity the spell wouldn't last, but like most magic taught by Strawgoh, permanent healing was a serious and resource-intensive challenge even for the greatest of magi.
Unfortunately, Bind Wound was one of the harder spells to practice, requiring as it did a wound to practice on. Luckily tiny injuries counted; Steorran did not fancy having to practice like Nemed Fomorach, drawing blood with every incantation. Though perhaps Steorran could talk him into letting young Consummatus learners practice on him? Or perhaps not, Steorran mused; Nemed unnerved people even more than the typical Perdo Perdo house member. The fact that he and Ives went around with a levitating crown of blood over their heads didn't help much.
Steorran returned their attention to their studies. Some spells were far easier than Bind Wound. Steorran glanced at the pile of straight branches of varying lengths at their feet. Successful castings of creo virgam, most of them. (Steorran refused to use the formal name for this spell; they respected the founder of the Contsummatus Fumigans house immensely, but the man had an odd sense of humor. "And Carry a Big Stick" was a terrible name for a spell.) They would disappear with the setting sun, as conjured objects were no more permanent than healing. Steorran had at first wondered why someone would want a spell that conjures a stick, but one had to admit that a long staff could be quite useful, especially when exploring the castle.
They settled in for a bit more practice before sunset.