Hello and welcome reader, to the 28th instalment of the Character Development Threads
! These shared story exercises help budding writers develop their characters alongside the characters of other budding writers. No sign-up is needed; just jump right in with your characters. It is recommended that you read the thread page and the last couple of pages before starting.
Discussion Thread Thread Page Town Map
This is a "Main Series" thread and, as such, an element of risk is expected. Rules and participation guidelines may be found on this page.
The thread page groups active characters under the areas in which they are active, enabling you to see who is at a given location in which you might be interested or to find out where to go to encounter characters with whom you wish to interact.
Kindly add your own characters to the thread page, with a link to their initial post, under the area in which they are located and update the page if they change location.
Bear in mind that if your characters are arriving at a location, they are likely to know little more than what they see and hear as they arrive - what the location looks like, what other characters are there (both of which can be read on the thread page) and the last few lines uttered and actions taken as they are arriving (which can be found in the last few posts for that location in the story thread itself), so inserting characters need not be a terrifying process.
If you need help, have any questions, or want a quick recap (if the page count is daunting), head over to the discussion page, and someone is sure to help you out!
To help guide character interaction, having your character come in with a at least one short-term and one long-term goal or motivation is strongly recommended. It is not required, but it does make it easier to drive the plot forward. Feel free to come up with rumours about what treasures, adventure, locations, and dangers may be found in the setting - they need not be true or accurate, just some hook on which to hang an adventure.
The setting is specifically designed to be a vast sandbox into which details can be inserted by participants (for example, you are free to decide that there is a particular temple in the midst of the forest in which something may be found or that there is a particular shop/hotel/restaurant in a section of the town), if you come up with a location that you desire/expect other characters to visit, please add it to the thread page as a sub-location of the relevant area.
Things change as the story progresses. If, for example, a massive battle occurs at a location and the area is now strewn with bodies and buildings are damaged, kindly update the thread page to reflect those changes, in order that other participants have an up-to-date description of the location prior to sending their characters there.
Special thanks to all those who helped in getting the thread launched or provided ideas and feedback. In alphabetic order, they include:
Blackfire667, Collen, Corvidae, daird, DarkbloodCarnagefang, EternaMemoria, Gault, Kkutwar, KillerClowns, ladytanuki, Masterofchaos, nrjxll, Pyxo, Slysheen, TroPartner, WillDeRegio and yours truly
Apologies if I missed anyone - just let me know and I'll update the post.
Between dimensions, and linked to the rest of the multiverse, lies a strange post-apocalyptic environment made up of various regions strewn with the remnants of past glory - ruins, lost technologies and magic. Here and there, nature has found its way back amongst the ruined temples and towns.
In the midst of the blighted landscape, a fresh new town has emerged - a synergy of technology, nature and magic; clean and eco-friendly; a beacon of hope for a brighter future - where travellers can rest, recharge their batteries both literally and metaphorically and get whatever they may need - technological, magical or otherwise - to aid them on their adventures.
New arrivals can turn up by diverse means in the transportation area in the north-western part of the town or by whatever other means they deem appropriate. Here they may also find for rent, lease or hire, any transport they desire from riding animals to vehicles.
The wilderness areas have not been fully explored since the mysterious apocalyptic events that ravaged the area some time ago and no one is really sure what's out there - but rumours abound.
All that is known for sure is that both magic and technology have existed here for a long time, so anything is possible...
Currently in Day 1.
Current Time: 10:00 PM
Current Weather:
General Setting: Fine, a few light clouds Rainforest: Moderately misty, the fog is slowly thickening
See the thread page for updates.
Edited by Wolf1066 on Feb 11th 2021 at 12:12:29 AM
[Town: Square - Notice Board]
"Alice Winters," Alice said, taking the hand and giving it a firm, practiced shake, "as you may have guessed. Pleasure to meet you." Then she handed Gwion a business card and said, "here, take a card, I always keep plenty. Never know when a networking opportunity might come up!" Then she leaned in close and quietly explained, "so, quick note; helping out with these contracts is a means, not an ends. What we're really looking for is the corpse, or soul-stuff, of some powerful and inherently magical being, and luckily, there's no shortage of ones that actually deserve to die anyways. Something to help us calibrate a experimental weapon system us mundies can use to even the odds against hellspawn, abominations, and other baddies without waiting for a hero. You or yours pick up anything like that and you can give us a call, we'll work out a deal. There will be some paperwork, of course, anyone who thinks they can dump a murder victim on us and disappear is in for a rude shock, but again, plenty out there with bounties and no chance of peaceful negotiation."
What Alice had said was, overall, mostly honest. There were things she hadn't said, but everything she had said was true enough. Unless it seemed like anyone had anything further to say, she was soon to head back to the hotel.
[Hotel (I give up its wherever lol)]
Everyone (except Maya) covered their ears when the demon screamed. Whatever was going on out there, it seemed to be getting worse. As Amy and Marie rejoined their friends, they looked at each other, before Amy's eyes lit up.
"I know how to fix this!" she said cheerfully. First, she went to Valarie and gave her a quick hug. Then she hugged Justin. Finally, she stretched her arms out for the demon.
"Would you like a hug?" she said, "I don't think you're scary! I believe everything and everyone deserves a hug! Maybe even a kiss on the cheek!"
Maya's jaw drop. Holy shit, Amy! You either are really fucking cocky or have nerves of steel.
Nick nervously rubbed the back of his head as he tried to continue his talk with Valarie, "Yeah, we could get some supplies—though you don't have to worry about teleporting us." He then pulled the small, white gems out of his pocket. "These babies will help us with a lot of shit. Hell, it's the reason we're here."
"By sure luck." Marie reminded, before looking at Valarie, "But still, a little extra help wouldn't hurt. Just as long as you're ok with it, honey."
Jackson helped Adam out the chair. "You got your gear ready?"
Adam nodded, examining his bow.
Crazy Kiwi
Town: Square - Notice Board
[Alice, Gwion]Gwion took the card and fished one of his own out of one of the many pockets of his vest to give her in return. Unlike her card, it had no job title; just his name and phone number.
He wasn't sure that they would encounter, and be forced to kill, some inherently magical being, but he couldn't discount the possibility, either. Whether or not they'd know it was inherently magical and of value to her, was a different matter entirely, but if they did find something, it was good to know there was a chance to pick up a side bonus.
Her use of 'mundies' was easily-enough understood. The theriomorphs and pagans tended to call outsiders 'mundanes', as did the Utgardians - although they generally preferred the term 'muggles' - and, in context, Alice likewise clearly used it to denote those of 'normal' human, rather than 'paranormal' or magickal, nature.
"Well, I can't promise anythin', but if we find somethin', we'll letcha know. Nice meetin' ya, Alice." He tucked her card into one of his pockets and glanced in the direction of James who was heading for the restaurant. "Best be off. Breakfast's calling."
Strepsirrhine of DOOM!
Edge of Town (Ozurr; Varg; Jann; Vrask; Leyi; Koyel)
"No, it's okay," Ozurr said. "I'm just...like I said, I'm a little jumpy lately." He couldn't be entirely sure these strangers weren't working for his father, so for now, he decided not to tell them exactly why he was out on his own.
His ears perked up at Jann's mention of being a thaumaturge. The use of magic was strictly regulated in Hromstgard, to the point that the only uses Ozurr had encountered up until now was from captured Fae and his father's court mage Solvi. This Jann of Grimmsford, on the other hand, was openly claiming to practice magic, something no living creature in or around Hromstgard would ever do without showing their license. Perhaps they didn't work for his father. Or perhaps his father was simply expanding his use of mercenaries.
Still, there were only two of them. Ozurr had seen enough of the things his father had made Solvi do to have some basic defenses against magic if things went south.
Ozurr nodded in reply to Jann. "Ozurr Einarsson, of Hromstgard. Formerly of Hromstgard," he corrected himself. "Thank you. I would be happy accompany you."
He turned to Layi. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't think your friend there is particularly keen to have me around." He indicated Vrask, who he noticed had responded to his presence by drawing a maul and setting it on fire.
Tidesson Son of the staves of time
Town ~ Hotel Lobby Entrance (Cynthia, Moobly; Not-Chaos-Hunters; Justin, Valerie; etc.)
Concern and perplexity respectively grew between the pair of knight and dragon as they watched half a conflict unfold before them, more-or-less blissfully unaware of Justin's demon. Cynthia, guessing from what she knew of noble spirits and their ilk from Diantha and that the group of teenagers were clearly interacting with an unseen entity, was slowly coming to the conclusion that Justin was some variety of summoner, and that Justin's noble spirit was either of the air, water, or the rarer light variety, explaining why she couldn't see it, and clearly of a hostile nature, judging from the teens' reactions.
Moobly, on the other hand, was wondering why Justin's tag-a-long wasn't either showing itself or sitting cozy in their convenient little pocket dimension. That, and being detracted by Nick's hand full of gems. "What are those?" she asked, "Moobly has never seen white aether crystals before," she added.
Cynthia was taken by surprise by Amy's sudden display of affection to the temperamental little witch and her companions. "Wow, she's a bit like Diantha," she more-or-less quietly mentioned under her breath.
Overhearing Valerie mention teleportation, Cynthia reflexively blanched, recalling her brief stint in the infirmary after being accidentally teleported by an inept mage who fumbled a few key variables in a teleportation equation. Unless Valerie was a child prodigy, Cynthia was reluctant to volunteer herself for a teleport spell from someone who appeared younger than a mage cadet.
Town Square ~ Notice Board (Diantha; Leone; Gwion, Kris, James)
Diantha couldn't help but frown, "Hmm, at least the military provides us with rations on expeditions and such," she said, tapping one of her tunic pockets, "but I suppose you probably don't necessarily have the means of carrying several days worth of rations with you. You could get some pointers from one of my fellow recruits, Carol; she's a decent cook who can scrounge up chicken practically anywhere," she mentioned as they headed towards the restaurant.
She noticed Alice relatively easily, but was concerned by what Oz, one of her noble spirits told her, "Strange, I can see that woman over there with my aether resonance, or rather, where she should be. Aether seems to be avoiding her like the plague for some reason. Just thought I should let you know, little one."
"If you don't mind, may I ask what that was about?" she asked Gwion when he returned to the group.
edited 19th Mar '18 9:04:31 AM by WillDeRegio
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
In front of hotel (Valerie, Justin, Sindar, Nick and the gang)
Demon binding and teleportation... both very powerful forms of magic in Crownen and even the mysterious Magic Lands, and dangerous in the case of the former. And yet, when Sindar looked between Justin and the demon, the demon did not appear to be anything similar to Justin; he had only figured such because it hovered behind him as if it was a shadow he cast. Then he looked over to Nyceme, who had seen the demon's presence. Finally, he looked back at Justin, downcast.
"It's an aspect of your soul, isn't it? An evil aspect... no wonder it was difficult to control. So she helped you in exchange for your servitude?"
Then he lowered himself all the way to the ground, looking up at Valerie. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I only intend to hurt those who needlessly hurt others. But you seem nice. You healed those people there. And teleportation is a rare form of magic, at least where I come from. A word of advice though: don't touch my hands. They—"
He was interrupted by the demon screaming... but there appeared to be no danger yet. Then one of the girls in the group proceeded to hug Valerie, and Justin... and the demon? The last one prompted Sindar to cover his face with one of said hands. "One does not simply hug a demon..." he muttered under his breath. Lowering his hand, he flew up a bit, addressing both Valerie and Justin. "By the way, are you two interested in visiting the necropolis by any chance? That's where Nyceme and I are headed." He gestured over to the undead snakewoman. "Regardless, I know Nyceme at least might be interested in visiting this magic shop of yours... she collects magic items and spells and whatnot. Would it be alright if she came along? Or uh..." he looked over and saw she was still busy with the demon... and showing Saen her spellbook for some reasonnote , "...if I come along in her place?"
edited 19th Mar '18 8:36:44 AM by ladytanuki
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
Crazy Kiwi
Town: Parking area on way to hotel
[Justin, Valerie, Cynthia, Sindar, Amy, Maya, Marie, Nick, Wolfe]Wolfe shamelessly listened in to the conversation to ensure that the young Not-Chaos-Hunters were at no risk. When Justin said that he disliked being likened to a slave or animal, Wolfe shook his head slightly in amazement. Then why don't you and your 'Master' try using a some term other than what Wiccans call their cat? He could think of several words that had far better connotations. And perhaps if your 'Master' didn't literally pat you on the head like you're a puppy while talking as if you're a stupid possession rather than a thinking human...
What Justin said next was even more surprising. Wait, what? She's his handler? The idea that Justin was some sort of homicidal maniac held in check only by an emotionally unstable kid was as unbelievable as it was terrifying. And ten years? What age did she start? Four? Clearly, then, she had to be a lot older than her height, appearance and childish demeanour would suggest... which actually made the way she had acted towards Maya seem even worse.
Wolfe's brow furrowed in puzzlement when Justin entreated Sindar to 'spare her'. No one was planning on killing her, and now Justin was talking as if Sindar was planning on murdering her in cold blood on the spot. What sort of fucked up place do you come from that murdering someone who offends you - or even cursing someone for hurting someone else's feelings - is a possibility? Was everyone where Justin and Valerie came from as prone to rash over-reactions as she?
As flawed as Terra Nova was, and despite its poly-temporal population base including people from eras when duelling to 'settle matters of honour' and avenge slights was common, the law tended to frown on that sort of thing. Rational people didn't go around murdering people on a whim.
To Wolfe's surprise, Valerie seemed capable of recognising that it was rude to heal the Not-Chaos-Hunters after the uniformed woman, who had not yet been introduced, and Moobly had gone to such efforts to help. Oh, you do understand the concept, after all. He then smiled when she started to say 'icky' and quickly stopped herself, replacing it with 'hurt'. And now she's learning. It seemed, now, that she hadn't meant to be insulting, after all, and the whole thing had been sparked off because she had been using baby words instead of asking why they had been hurt.
Wolfe could still understand Maya's reaction and thought it perfectly justified, given she had had no way of knowing that the offensive word was referring to the wounds and not her and her friends - and Valerie hadn't helped matters by instantly going on the offensive rather than apologising and explaining she meant no insult.
At least she had calmed the fuck down now and was speaking politely - cheerfully, even - and offering to help. The Not-Chaos-Hunters seemed OK with that and even willing, despite Valerie's clearly moody nature, to allow her and Justin to go with them to the Warpfields.
Satisfied that the Not-Chaos-Hunters were no longer in immediate danger and didn't need anyone to speak up in support or watch their backs, Wolfe relaxed somewhat.
The fact that Valerie's healing 'magic' had been effective had Wolfe wondering about the rather nastier-sounding stuff that she had started to direct at him before Justin had stopped her. She could obviously affect physical material enough to heal, so it was no great stretch to suppose she could likewise harm - and that she would want to do so... start to do so over hurt feelings was not a good sign.
Wolfe remembered that Gwion had told him about a young child in Captal City who had incinerated someone who threatened her and then destroyed a building, and thought of what harm could have potentially come his way due to Valerie's mercurial temper.
This shit was nasty. At least you knew where you were with guns and knives... someone pulls a visible weapon in a threatening manner, you know the consequences and how to deal with it - and in the end, should be able to prove 'self defence' in a court of law, if need be.
Psychic powers? 'Magic'? You probably wouldn't know it was coming your way until it hit - and by then it would be too late. And there was no way of knowing what the attacker's intent was. A person pulls a gun, you know they are willing to use lethal force; a person starts to 'curse' you, you have no idea if they intend to cause nothing more than intense, but harmless, pain - like that psychotic bitch at the Frontier was fond of doing - or to turn you inside out or immolate you.
How the fuck were you supposed to respond to that? Lethal force could only be justified as a means of defence if you were clearly in danger of loss of life. With this paranormal shit, you wouldn't know that for sure until after the fucker had killed you.
Valerie was clearly willing to unleash a harmful force at the least provocation. Was she also willing to cause lethal or potentially lethal harm? Wolfe had no way of knowing, and his friends would have had no way of knowing what level of danger he was in if she had continued her attack. If they had shot her and it turned out that she hadn't intended to use lethal force, it would be a terrible thing. If they didn't, and she killed him, her trial and, eventual, punishment wouldn't do him a fuck of a lot of good.
It occurred to Wolfe that there most likely were others about who, like Valerie or Amanda, could attack from a distance with unknowable consequences and no discernible intent and that neither he nor his companions had the means with which to defend themselves other than possibly unjustified lethal force. The best plan would be to ensure that each team had someone who was able to detect such attacks - and the nature of them - and it would probably also pay to find some sort of non-lethal but effective ranged weapons that could stop an attack without the risk of killing someone who possibly didn't have lethal intent.
Sindar had said he could 'feel' the magic in Valerie and he was going to the necropolis and willing to help in 'dealing with' the 'inhabitants'. That at least meant that Pearl, Aubrey and Finn would have someone apparently capable of detecting - and hopefully identifying - supernatural threats.
Now they just needed to find others for the other teams and some non-lethal weapons as back up...
This is my good side.
Town Square
The woman bought the coin and promptly left, leaving Chitara with the other one. Her dressing made Chitara think of what she had once heard of Daan Doctors, clad in those white masks and black raiments. Like that stranger she had met what felt like long ago...
Although, unlike that one, this one seemed a little more... emotional. Her sudden maniacal outburst proved that, and made Chitara have some doubts regarding the other raven. But it hadn't done anything other than show some bad taste concerning Naiolo's music. Besides who could ignore a sale?
"Oh, sure. Look as much as you want. If you need anything in specific feel free to ask." At this moment, another group of strangers were approaching the wagon. "Hello hello!" Chitara greeted them. "Find anything of interest here?"
The Scar near town (Mustang herd, Rosalind) -> ??? (Mustang herd)
Kra-bang! A flashbang-grenade-like teleport deposited a large herd of horses on the concrete road. Spooked by the light and noise, they stampeded south along the road, the nipping palomino stallion at the back accidentally dislodging his fainting rider - a young woman slimed with guts and gore that weren't her own. The horses quickly disappeared into the distance.
The young woman eventually woke up, gasped and jumped up in alarm, only to sway woozily. A ragged cry of pain escaped her lips as she fell down. She got up again, this time slowly and carefully, and whistled, a long, loud, piercing call that vaguely mimicked a horse's whinny. She listened carefully for an answer, repeating the whistle every ten seconds for a full minute. There was no answer from her herd. "Where am I?" she wondered silently. "More importantly, where is my herd? And where are the zombies?" She gave a disgusted glance to her gory, stinking denim clothes. "There's no way I'll be able to smell anything at all, let alone anything useful, through this stench..."
I'll wait a little bit to see if there's anyone close enough and curious enough to respond to Rosalind's whistles — if I recall correctly there's that frost giant — before moving Rosalind into town.
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
To dream is my right
Solstice Café - Cas, Peggy, Karl, Lily, Carol, Cormack
Cas still searched the skies with her eyes as she followed Karl and Peggy, spotting more of the strange creatures, including a larger one that seemed to be... following them? Still, they said it was harmless, so she probably shouldn't worry. Probably.
"An abandoned town?", Cas said, speaking the last word with uncertainty. A town was a place for people to live, right? Why would they abandon it if they didn't have to worry about leaks in the hull or lack of oxygen? Maybe they couldn't produce enough food? "That sounds... interesting."
As they arrived into the building called "Solstice Café", Cas couldn't help but be surprised at the people in there. All those blades, with people young enough to be more than apprentices. And that girl with the hexagonal pattern in her eye, what could that be for?
"Choose whatever you want from that lot.", Peggy said to Cas's confusion, until she noticed that Peggy was pointing to the series of strange words on the wall, followed by numbers. So those must be the types of food, and the numbers how much 'money' they are exchanged for, she thought, but there are just so many...
"I... I don't know what any of those mean. Where I come from food is always the same thing."
"The dried flowers are so beautiful, and it applies to all things living and dead."The Scar, southeast of the forest (Mustang herd)
The herd slowed their frantic gallop when Guardian Thunder, the palomino stallion, stopped nipping at the stragglers. Wheezer, one of the white geldings, coughed as he dropped into a canter instead of a full-blown gallop. Lead Mare Flashfoot (the Seventh), a chestnut, and her adolescent daughter Filly Flashfoot (the Eighth), a palomino like her father, turned their left ears and some of their attention backwards to see what was the matter. Our Watcher is missing, they noted, getting a glimpse of Thunder's empty bloodstained back. No time to go back for Our Watcher now, to keep the herd safe they had to assume that the Sabertooth Lightningnote ate her.
More ground flew by beneath their hooves, though Stomper's front hooves were beginning to ache. The white gelding's awkward short stride lagging earned him another nip from Thunder. As the herd slowed into a trot, Filly Flashfoot flared her nostrils and pointed her ears forward, more precisely, to the left edge and right edge of the road. Do you smell that? Lead Mare Flashfoot flicked an ear towards her daughter, then flared her own nostrils, pointed her ears forward, and carried her head higher. Water! A river! We can all drink and maybe even wash off the Death Scent! The herd slowed to a trot, then a walk, as they closed the distance on the river. Flashfoot nuzzled her daughter. Well spotted.
When the herd arrived at where The Scar bridged the river, the more graceful horses leaped out of the concrete furrow. The less graceful horses clambered out.
Lead Mare Flashfoot peered suspiciously up and down the riverbanks, looking for any signs of a predator waiting in ambush, before beckoning the herd into the river. Stomper (another white gelding) plunged his aching forelegs into the cold water, groaning in relief at the numbing cold before taking a few sips. Nippy (a third white gelding) stretched, trying to ease the sore muscles in his swayback. A seal baynote mare named Fiddler (the Third) guzzled noisily and dribbled water through her split upper lip. She considered the sloppy drinking worthwhile for the oral tricks her (long since missing) mother taught her were possible with the inheritable mutation. Ripple, a dapple gray mare, took one sip of the water, started trembling, and bolted through the river to the other riverbank. Flashfoot gave Ripple a disapproving look — Never Split the Party — as did Thunder — You won't find your former herd here, you fool — and Ripple skittered back to stand in between her fellow captive mares Speckles and Mouse. Fraternal twins Raven and Rook watched furtively as Thunder beckoned to the white geldings. They took a few steps downstream. With the geldings standing guard, Thunder began rolling in the shallows, replacing the blood on his back with mud.
(Edited to reflect the fact that The Scar is a furrow, not flat)
Edited again: Retconning Thunder's title to "Guardian" because "van" means "front", not "back" like I had assumed.
edited 13th Apr '18 2:12:49 PM by Miss_Desperado
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
Crazy Kiwi
Town 'Square': Chitara's Wagon
[Teri, Sophia, Chitara, Naiolo, plague doctor]From this close, it was easy for Sophia to see that the old woman and the youngster playing the harp weren't merely wearing feathered garments; the feathers were actually growing out of their skin, as if they were part human, part bird. But then, Kaitlyn, Finn and the two - to take a leaf from Teri's book - 'Not-Mad-Bastards' were over closer to the hotel talking with a couple of part human, part snake creatures, so why the fuck not?
The old woman noticed and greeted them and asked if there was anything that interested them.
Teri tore her eyes from the corvid that clearly had too many eyes for one of its type and looked at the assortment of wares. "What sorta stuff d'ya sell?"
Town Square - elsewhere.
[A Terra Novan Common Raven]The raven glided in a wide circle. Two of the humans-that-feed-him had approached the shiny-armed human when summoned and the three had gone into one of the large constructions that humans seemed to like spending time in. The place smelled strongly of interesting foods, but no reward of food had been forthcoming.
The others and the humans they had met in the strange-smelling tree-less place were scattered about the area and none were paying him much attention.
Over near the dark-skinned human-that-sometimes-fed-him was the unmistakable form of a fellow raven, so he flew nearer to investigate. Something was horribly wrong! Too many eyes! He wheeled about, clucking in alarm, and his eye caught a far more welcome sight.
Down below, a human was eating something and his attention was directed away.note .
The raven swooped down, landed silently behind his target and strutted softly closer. "FUCKIT!"
As expected, the human was startled by the sudden cry and jolted; food spilled from his hands onto the ground. Triumphant, the raven darted forwards, snatched up a tasty-looking morsel, and took flight before his victim could recover and react. He settled in a tree to enjoy the piece of animal flesh he had scored.
Town square —> Solstice Café
[Cas, Peggy, Karl, Lily, Carol, Cormack]Karl couldn't help overhearing the group at the table. They weren't the strangest group he had ever seen - no stranger than his own travelling companions, to be honest: pointed ears, unnatural hair colours, artificial arms, weird-looking eyes and an anachronistic mix of weaponry. The description could equally apply to either group.
The short 'Elf' with the assortment of weapons made an admiring comment about the rifle carried by the woman with the strange-looking eye and colourful hair and asked if she were some sort of fairy.
Karl had never heard of a 'miri', and was thankful that the woman, who identified herself as a recruit - it seemed that she had chosen to join the military - provided an explanation of the term... even though it raised more questions than it answered.
He stole a look at the rifle with which she had been issued. It didn't look too dissimilar to the Karabiner he had been issued when conscripted into the Heer, except it seemed to be made of bronze rather than steel. The pole-arm next to the other, similarly uniformed, woman gave him pause to wonder about the technology and military tactics of their world. Sure, James still habitually wore an eighteenth-century sword, but he had also embraced modern magazine-fed breech-loading firearms - and he had mustered out years ago, while these two were obviously still in active service.
Peggy's eyes widened when Cas revealed that she didn't know what the things on the menu were and that food was always the same thing where she came from. "Bugger me!" The words escaped her mouth before she could moderate them. Her mum had often talked of the rationing during the war - usually in the context of how she, Peggy, should be satisfied with what she had and 'shut up and eat up' - but even then, despite shortages of pretty much everything, there had been choice and variety.
She was at a loss. There was no point in asking what Cas' food tasted like - she probably had no terms of reference to compare - and there was no way of knowing what to choose on her behalf. She could easily choose something that Cas found unpleasant-tasting.
Then it occurred to her that she was approaching it from the wrong angle. Suggesting a meal that might suit Cas' palate was out of the question, but suggesting one that would be filling and nutritious would be easy. "Well, in that case, I'd suggest a meat-and-vegetable omelette. It should give ya the proteins, minerals and vitamins your body needs - but I warn you: it's likely ta taste very strange to you. I can't even guarantee you'll find it a pleasant taste by comparison with what you're used to - I personally think they're delicious, but tastes vary."
Having already eaten a substantial breakfast before they left, Peggy and Karl just ordered a couple of espressos for themselves.
Town - Bulletin Board -> Restaurant (Leone, Gwion, Kris, James, Diantha)
In any event, it looked like Gwion would handle speaking to the newcomer. As the rest seemed to be heading off to the restaurant, and as she had no words to say to the newcomer herself, Leone turned and followed the rest to the restaurant.
She did glance at Gwion when Diantha asked about the conversation, as if to repeat Diantha's question.
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
Strepsirrhine of DOOM!
Edge of Town (Ozurr; Varg; Jann; Vrask; Leyi; Koyel)
Before anyone could respond to Ozurr, he jumped at the sound a distant crack, followed by the sound of hoofbeats. These, more than the crack, put him on edge. Frost Giants had little use for horses, for obvious reasons, so in his experience, distant hoofbeats meant nuckelavees, and he would rather face Arstadam than a horde of those awful things. But the hoofbeats receded into the distance, and Ozurr relaxed.
"Anyway," he said, turning back to Jann and Varg, "as I was saying, I'd be happy for some company..."
There. Off in the distance, something whistled. Someone, perhaps. It was coming from the same direction as the crack and the hoofbeats.
"Do you hear that?" he asked Jann and Varg.
Just then, an easterly wind blew through the Scar and towards the town. It carried with it the unmistakeable stench of death and decay.
Ozurr coughed. "Do you smell that?" The smell made him think of the nuckelavees again, but by this point, he had seen enough to convince him that, wherever he was, it wasn't Faerie, which meant he could afford to take chances now and then. Besides, leaving someone to die in the barren wasteland he had seen on the way to town sounded like something his father would do, and he had long since made up his mind that he was not going to end up like that man if he could help it.
Ozurr unsheathed his axe. "Someone might be in trouble. I think we should go check it out."
Tidesson Son of the staves of time
Crazy Kiwi
Town: Square —> Restaurant
[Alice, Leone, Diantha, Kris, Gwion, James]James nodded at Diantha's comment about food rations. The skills to forage, hunt, trap and fish were all useful in certain circumstances but it wasn't always possible to do so, depending on where you were, so it paid to have portable rations on you at all times. Some of the pockets of his vest contained such emergency food and there were rations in the pannier cases ready for when they set off on their missions.
They would obviously have to get more rations for Leone before heading out.
Gwion rejoined the group as it neared the restaurant. "Just a bit'v networking," he said, in answer to Diantha's question and Leone's unspoken one. "We're not headin' to any'v th'places she's interested in, but it doesn't hurt havin' contacts." He figured that if Alice had wanted everyone to know what she was after, she would have made it known. What she wanted, and why, was her own business and - so long as it didn't adversely affect anyone he knew - it could remain so.
They reached the door of the restaurant and James held it open for the others to enter.
It's a bird.
Edge of Town (Ozurr; Varg, Jann; Vrask; Leyi, Koyel)
Varg had indeed noticed both the sounds and the foul smell, though the latter had been hard to distinguish from the stench of the bag she carried. She tied the bag to her belt, and grabbed the oversized gun strapped to her back. She wasn't sure what to expect - Ghouls? More of those monkey things they'd met upon their arrival? - but it never hurt to be prepared. I guess dinner will have to wait for a while.
"Lead the way, big guy," she said, looking up at Ozurr.
Jann, meanwhile, prepared himself in his own way. Closing his eyes and steadying his breath, he reached out with his mind across the many thin layers of reality, back to the familiar source of his power - something that turned out to be remarkably easy, given the circumstances - and let the magic flow through him, gathering into a small orb just above his left open palm. It twisted and flickered there, warping the image behind it like a cracked pane of dark glass, awaiting his commands.
He too glanced up at Ozurr.
"I advice you to be prepared for anything. You might have noticed that things are a bit... different here?"
Given what Jann himself had already seen this day, that was of course a pretty serious understatement.
"The first thing I noticed," he continued, pointing a finger towards the sky, "was how different the Moon looked, and the absence of her Daughter. Depending on where you're from, I guess that may or may not seem strange to you as well."
He was about to stroke his chin, noticing at the last second that he'd almost used his left hand for it, which wouldn't have ended well. With an embarrassed "gulp", he pulled his hand away, the magic crackling ominously at his temporary lapse in concentration.
"Are there any legends in your homeland about people who go missing and end up in other worlds, by any chance?"
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I haven't seen you in the discussion thread yet. Feel free to drop by if you have any questions or plans you'd like to share.
edited 23rd Mar '18 5:06:29 PM by Corvidae
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.
Strepsirrhine of DOOM!
Edge of Town (Ozurr; Varg, Jann; Vrask; Leyi, Koyel) -> The Scar (Ozurr; Varg, Jann, Rosalind)
Ozurr nodded and set off in the direction of the sounds, axe at the ready. He couldn't help but notice how effortlessly Jann had summoned his magic orb of...whatever it was. Ozurr didn't know much about magic - he had purposely stayed away from the Court Mage after he had accidentally walked in on him putting the geas on Arstadam - but from what Thassilae had told him, most humans didn't have much of a knack for Mind or Spirit magic, and Elemental magic always involved a significant somatic component. Then again, there were always exceptions: Thassilae's use of her Third Eye was classic Mind magic, and as for Spirit...
Something Jann said caught Ozurr's attention. Something about the moon having a daughter. Also, the moon being female; he was far from the most religious person in Hromstgard, but everything he had paid attention to had referred to the god of the moon as male.
He was so busy mulling this over that he almost missed Jann's follow-up question.
"Other...worlds?" He thought for a moment. "No, I can't say there are. But there are legends that say that centuries of spilled Fae blood has saturated the soil with magic, and in the places where it gathers, it causes the laws of physics to become...pliable. You can take a few steps and end up miles from where you started." He shooed a fly away from his eye, which also reminded him that the stench was getting stronger (as if he needed reminding). "I thought that was what had happened to me, but..."
He stopped in his tracks. There, in the middle of the trench, was a woman. Possibly human, although again, Ozurr had a sample size of one to know what humans looked like. The periodic whistling was definitely coming from her, and from what Ozurr could see, she was covered from head to toe in blood and viscera.
Ozurr stopped and pointed at the woman. "I think we're here."
edited 23rd Mar '18 6:19:00 PM by apocalemur
Tidesson Son of the staves of timeRosalind was trying to piece together what just happened. She distinctly remembered fighting alongside her herd, punching her way out of a swarm of zombies, and she'd spent the last of her strength vaulting onto Thunder's back to complete the getaway. But then there was that sudden thunderstorm, a hole in her memory, and now she was utterly lost. How long had she been unconscious? What time was it? Which way was North? Did her herd jump out of this concrete furrow or not?
Oblivious to the approaching group, Rosalind scanned the concrete ground looking for any hint of where her darling horses were. One way, the disgusting brownish zombie offal currently congealed head-to-toe on her was smeared in wide streaks leading right to where she was standing - so she'd fallen with inertia from her mount's gallop. That was a start, now if she could find North, she'd have an estimate of which way her herd ran...
"I think we're here."
Rosalind screamed and whirled around to face the sudden male voice. Upon seeing what could only be some kind of giant looming over her, she whimpered and raised her hands in surrender, her light brown eyes wide with terror.
edited 23rd Mar '18 6:34:52 PM by Miss_Desperado
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
(Hotel Parking Lot)
"Mossstly telepathy, but I have been working on thingsss with mental worldsss. So far, though, I haven't been able to do anything practical with them." Saen took the paper in her hand and concentrated, the sheet glowing a bright blue. She then started to write, although her penmanship left a lot to be desired- she had once seen a blind person with better handwriting.
Rebecca, I have come across a group of travelersss interested in a nearby necropolis. There could be many sssecrets of ancient magic just waiting to be found! However, I am worried about the sortsss of things that often wander tombsss. You know far more about undeath than I ever will, so I mussst ask, do you know any way to ward againssst mindlessss undead?
The reply came back in a flowing, elegant script. "For a second, I was worried you were going to throw me out of the coven, until I saw the world 'mindless.' Though I suppose we all have our moments of that. In any case, willow twigs tied into Dilavau's Glyph should serve rather nicely, at least for initial protection.''
Saen nodded, satisfied at the response. "Simple enough, I would think. Perhapsss there isss a shop around that sells them."
Forward, boys! For God's sake, forward!
Strepsirrhine of DOOM!
The Scar (Ozurr; Jann; Varg; Rosalind)
The woman turned around, looked up, and screamed. Instinctively, Ozurr's eyes snapped to the sky, hands gripping his axe handle tightly, before he realized that she was reacting to him. He sighed, lowered his axe, and looked at Jann.
"Maybe you should talk to her."
Tidesson Son of the staves of time
Town Square ~ Restaurant (Diantha; Leone; Gwion, Kris, James)
"I see," the chipper girl stated to Gwion. "She seemed nice. Well, who knows, maybe we'll cross paths with her again," she said as she entered the restaurant.
Diantha then made a direct beeline to order a cup of coffee for herself; black, no sugar, as per her (and most other recruits) standards. After paying for it, she received her drink in relatively short order; since it was still morning, the restaurant had plenty of freshly brewed coffee. She took up a spot off to the side and allowed the others to take their time ordering.
Town Square ~ Notice Board (Jean)
A woman with short, black hair, pale blue eyes, and a friendly smile approached the notice board, dressed in a beige, long-sleeve shirt, dark gray vest, matching jodhpurs, and black boots. She carried a satchel and backpack, with a pair of handguns (bearing a striking resemblance to a Walther P38 and an M1911 despite her being a native of Aria) holstered to her hips. A black, wide-brimmed fedora completed her adventuring attire.
She was Lady Jean Westinghouse, antiquarian, following a lead on a personal project of hers. Fiddling with the straps of her backpack, her smile broadened as she saw that there were others who where going to be going in the general direction of her search; a good thing since she hadn't received funding to mount an expedition due to the university viewing her request as "searching for something that doesn't exist." All she needed to do now was locate one James Turner.
edited 24th Mar '18 6:23:52 PM by WillDeRegio
The Scar, South of the Town – The Past, The Present, The Criminal and His Captor
…
You're such an arsehole, Iragan.
What?! I didn't ask The Powers That Be to punish you too.
Couldn't you just say no to that Subversion guy? We wouldn't be in this situation then.
Would you say no if he made you that offer?
Of course I would.
…
Don't stare at me like that.
…
We're incorporeal anyway.
… So, er, where are we?
We appear to be above the furrow acting as a road that leads to the southern gates of a city struggling to repel the wasteland, the forest and the ocean. A daunting task, if the flames are to be believed. On the Scar, two grim travelers slowly head North. Or, rather, one traveler and his luggage: for arms and legs of the other, a man, are in shackles.
Let's embrace the mind of his captor, Orain.
Her legs ache from walking through the whole night. She appreciates the gentle caress of the breeze on her rough features, but soon, when the sun will rise higher it will become another burden.
"You see that, Inquisitor? That's the city." The tall man, whose chains she was holding in her hand, had a general appearance of an overgrown tomcat hardened by the alley: his hooked nose was broken, half of his ear was gone and his blackguardly little smile was missing several teeth. "You'll finally relax out there, take off that suffocating leather armor of yours. Pity no one wants to see what's underneath."
I should have wired his jaw shut, too.
The man's body spasms, the chain rattles. He barks out a laugh defiantly.
"Does your talking serve any purpose, Sa'ad?" From beneath her hood, the Inquisitor's pale gray eyes burrow into her captor's jet black. "Or electrocution thrills you?"
"At least something thrills me," says he. "You dull lifeless frigid b-"
Another spasm, followed by a scream. Sa'ad falls on his knees, lingers for a moment, and falls on the ground face first with a loud thump. The Inquisitor sighs, and silently continues walking towards the Town, dragging Sa'ad's lifeless body on the ground without visible effort.
I'm not falling for this trick again. I should have wired his jaw shut.
Spiral out, keep going.
It's a bird.
The Scar (Ozurr; Jann, Varg; Rosalind)
Jann, breathing heavily after his struggle to keep up with Ozurr's long steps, stared at the woman in front of them with rapidly widening eyes. So much blood... For a moment his mind jumped back to the Inscription ritual he'd been forced to endure all those years ago, and he glanced down at his arms, shuddering visibly. Eventually though, Jann forced himself to snap out of it.
"Good gods..." he whispered to himself as he walked closer to the woman. "What happened to you?"
Varg, on the other hand, was much less fazed by the sight of the gore-drenched woman, and calmly analyzed the situation before moving closer. The poor human was still standing up - and making quite a bit of noise - so all that blood couldn't be hers. And while it was hard to tell for sure, Varg noticed no obvious injuries on her either. Probably someone else's then... There were no corpses around though, and no weapons except the ones carried by herself and her companions. Strange.
Finally, Varg stepped forward, walking up next to Jann to address the woman.
"Relax... We're not gonna hurt you, and neither will the big guy."
She placed a hand on Jann's shoulder. "My friend here can patch you up a bit if you need it. What's your name?"
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.The Scar near West Gate (Ozurr; Jann, Varg; Rosalind)
Rosalind felt more than she saw the magic emanating from the guy next to the giant. In response, she uttered a low moan of despair as her legs gave out from under her and collapsed into an awkward W shape. She clutched the sides of her head and repeated in a murmur, "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die..."
Rosalind blinked a few times as the comforting words belatedly penetrated her mental fog of panic. "Wait... you're not gonna kill me?" Heaving a sigh of relief, she stood up and privately resolved to stay wary. After all, these people still had plenty of reasons to turn hostile despite their initial friendliness. Rosalind still looked like and smelled like a zombie infectee, and according to the duck rule of thumb,Don't explain the joke anyone who knew about plague zombies had no reason to assume she wasn't infected. And if they found out exactly why she was immune to the zombie plague, they could easily become hostile.
She dodged giving out her name, the less said about who and what she was, the better — unless these people proved to be trustworthy. Hesitantly, she informed, "...I just need some decontamination, this gunk is loaded with zombie germs, dangerous to humans. Also, I lost my way and my horses, have you seen them? I think they went that way..." she pointed down The Scar, "...but I'm not sure. I have a worrying hole in my recent memory and my hunch is based on the skid marks from where I fell." She gestured to the fly-covered evidence mentioned, then asked, "Do you know which way is north?"
Edited yet again, this time to fix a continuity snarl but still revealing the same information.
edited 25th Mar '18 10:24:09 PM by Miss_Desperado
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
Hotel
Looking towards Cynthia and the draconic woman named Moobley, Justin can't help but smile slightly amused by their conversation. Still, as the familiar waited for Nick or one of his friends to take the offered money, Justin's eyebrows arched slightly in confusion upon hearing Maya's translated words. "Why would healing just one of them change her-"
Then, as Nick gently took the coins, Justin became properly aware of what happened. Glancing down at Valerie, Justin actually asks quietly "You, healed all of them?" The little witch looking up at Justin, her face brightens red as she pulls down her hat to hide.
Though as Nick came to talk to Valerie, she seems inexplicably aware of his attention. Looking up with her hat partially moved, her face is still a brighter shade of red than it should. Watching Nick with an almost sad or pained look, it is soon replaced with a rather avaricious gleam upon realizing the implication of a Warpfield relic.
Justin, on the other hand, really just seems relieved there doesn't seem to be any lingering issues. Still, the young man can't help frowning at Adam's willingness to put up with the demon. Though with the arrival of the small floating man, Justin doesn't seem particularly motivated to say anything.
Well, that is until the fairy spoke to Valerie. Justin could clearly feel his master's discomfort at being asked, causing him to cross his arms and frown at the little man. Still, between seeing his master shifting awkwardly in place and noticing Wolfe's approach, Justin sighs as he rubs his forehead. "Why did it have to be complicated today? Just attack already, I know you want to..."
His demon, on the other hand, glares rather intensely at Sindar. Upon feeling Nyceme's attempt at a gaze, the demon laughs whilst Justin rather irritably scratches at his own cheek. Nonetheless, the shadowy demon smiles rather amused as he listens to the lichy snakey witch. Though once she made a demand of Sindar, Justin's demon watches intently- And the demon notably shakes with anger upon realizing what it would of done to Valerie.
Miron responding, mentioning some holy lady, causes the demon to sharply and suddenly shift his attention. Mouth spreading wide into a demented smile, the demon's attention is briefly on Kaitlyn as he notices something- The human completely failing to hear him even after putting in the effort. Finally, the demon lets out a short feral scream- Seemingly enraged, before calling out to Miron.
"You, you think yourself something righteous? You're surrounded by fools who utterly reject magic and would willingly murder my mistress! Where is your precious goddess, hm? Perhaps creating the very things you condemn as inferior, telling everyone it isn't her fault the monsters she makes exist at all? How disgusting, one who can see yet wishes to be blind. There is no god, no righteousness, no holy greatness! I exist, that is all the proof one needs! Why else would my mistress suffer so, if your precious goddess or whatever truly exists?"
The demon's fingers curling as claws extend, with horns slowly rising, and eyes so ablaze that embers seemingly drift away- It is somewhat surprising it takes a more composed posture, before speaking very coldly and calmly. "Tell any who dares, that I will slaughter them and feed on their souls should they hurt my mistress. Otherwise, they have nothing to fear from me. I'm simply a wrath demon, it is in my nature like any succubus or arrogant human to obsess."
Flashing Miron a brief snarl, Justin's demon resumes his more normal appearance before refocusing on Nyceme. Giving her book and pen a once over, the demon smirks before speaking somewhat playfully. "Tell me, if you're so smart why wouldn't you perfect a better spell? Being a decaying corpse, how can you eat or feel... Pleasure? Fortunately for you, I do have a better offer."
Pointing towards his mistress, Justin's demon briefly snarls at Sindar before composing himself and speaking. "My mistress is not the only one in her family. She came to this place to meet with her sisters, "Maggie" and "Celly". They are powerful witches themselves, who collect and create artifacts when they aren't performing experiments. They themselves are supported by many daughters, trained in magic. So what would you prefer? Some attempt at resurrection, something to preserve your body, perhaps become something... Better. Tell me, are you familiar with perfect vampires?"
While his demon made his offer, Justin takes a deep breath before walking closer to Valerie. Laying his right hand on her left shoulder, Valerie shivers at his touch as she hides her face once more. Justin just briefly acknowledging her reaction, he turns to Sindar yet also makes sure Wolfe is in sight. Letting his sack of coins slip down his sleeve, Justin speaks very polite though slightly sternly.
"My master was simply trying to protect my feelings. If you truly sense magic, then you can tell I'm her familiar. I dislike being likened as a slave or animal because of our bond. She may not be the most flawless person, but I hardly have room to judge. You, can sense it right? That thing is me, and honestly if it wasn't for Master Valerie... I wouldn't be able to control it at all. There's much I don't know about her, but I've been with her about ten years now. That's ten years I haven't spent in a murderous rampage, so at least spare her for my sake."
Performing a little shoulder bow to Sindar, Justin nudges Valerie and points at Nick. The black haired girl, seeming contemplative of something, lets out a little breath. Smiling somewhat playfully at Nick and his friends, Valerie holds her hands behind her back and sways before speaking cheerfully.
"Well, I was just rude to the nice lady and her friend by healing you all. That's like five minutes they won't get back, ya know! Still, the Warpfields aren't really super safe, so having someone to keep you from getting ic- Uh, hurt again is important! Though, ah, if you need supplies or something... I was heading to a very special magic shop. I needed to confirm something, but I can get us there with a simple spell! Ehehehe, you're gonna love teleportation, it makes the railway people envious!"
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."