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Post by Brownie on Dec 19, 2021 19:26:49 GMT -5
- Welcome -
Welcome to this little idea that I've been wanted to test out forever. This roleplay is... nontraditional. Instead of 1x1 or small groups, each player moves their character(s) around the world on their own terms, with roleplaying between groups happening when those player groups collide.
We also have an interactable map! Parties of characters can now be shown as tokens and moved around the world in real time. - About -
Since this "roleplay" is only about points of contact between individual parties, a lot of the writing, worldbuilding, and character development is done solo. This allows players to step out of the roleplay when they don't have time and come back on their own terms. Hopefully, this type of environment allows for the roleplay to survive despite the majority of this forum being poofy adults with responsibilities!
So how does this differ from merely writing a novel alone? Because all players are in the same world at the same time, actions of one group influence the map which can change interactions for another group. A village that had recently been aided by another player group may now be more helpful towards other adventuring parties passing through, while an earl that had their grain stolen by a player may not be so keen on other players' trespassing.
It is also encouraged to have connections between groups, both in personal relationships between members or conflicts in goals. Two players having a similar goal and different paths in getting there may indirectly help or hinder the other group, changing their story arc as the plot progresses.
The most obvious difference is "point of contact" interactions. When two players are in the same place on the map, they can choose to have a moment of roleplay between the two parties! This can hit that back and forth roleplay without a long-term plot commitment (unless the players choose to group up for a while, which is cool too!). The idea for this isn't to limit roleplay between groups, but to keep roleplay liquid enough that a player's muse doesn't hold anyone back, and that a sudden burst of muse can be fully utilized since you are able to make as long of a solo story arc in one go as you have ideas for. - Rules -
- Godmodding & Perfect Luck: Just because you are mostly writing solo and CAN godmod your characters to avoid the storm that another player described only a hex away or that you could, theoretically, find the object they are looking for the first village they check doesn't mean you SHOULD make everything go right all the time. Conflict builds character. (Also, don't make everything go WRONG either; sometimes your characters can be lucky, or skillful if they have that skill, or be helped by another party).
-> Since this is meant to feel D&D-esque, using dice to decide combat, choices, or number and strength of enemies is a great solution!
- Be Careful of Natural Disasters: They are fun, dramatic, and influence the map, but a volcano doesn't erupt every week. Large scale, unavoidable map changes should be discussed by at least most of the groups in the area before they are okay'd.
- But DO Impact the Map: The whole idea of this is to change the map for other player's to experience. Don't hesitate to build the world you are in and give others more unplanned obstacles (or aid) for their party. The world should be alive, constantly changing, and giving room to explore more and more depth.
- Chat! Discuss!: Just because you're writing solo doesn't mean you're alone! Chat and discuss things ooc with our other players. Plan contacts between groups! Plan to steal the object they were looking for, so now one player is chasing you instead of an npc! Make rivals that keep running into each other, much to both their frustration.
- Keep Groups Manageable: You can make as many groups as you wish. Just make sure you can keep track of them all, and that all of them are made for a REASON. Again, because this is self-driven, your characters should have concrete goals they are passionate about. The world is very dangerous and they wouldn't risk their lives on the road for no reason. Feel free to make stationary "npcs" that reside in cities that players can choose to interact with when they're in town.
- There are NO rules on literacy or post length, but don't spam. It's totally okay to do several posts a day when you have the time, just try not to make it ten posts an hour with only 100 words each if you do. Either clump them together in one post, or add more content to those characters. This is less of a hard rule and more to make everyone comfortable; we wouldn't want a long 1-post per day player to be buried under hundreds of one-liners.
- Draw on the Map: This isn't a rule, but I highly encourage you to interact with tokens and draw in things you see. Create cities, borders, contested zones, biomes, rivers, roads, landmarks. Mark where your party often camps through that mountain pass. Trace the travel plans of your characters. Make it messy and lived in. (I'll go through and clean it up every once in a while; I would rather see MORE than less.)
- When in Doubt, the ORB: The ORB is a powerful magical object rumored to be hidden somewhere on the continent. Many adventuring parties, individuals, and kingdoms are searching for it and the limitless power it brings. Anyone can have a reason to look for the ORB: out of pride, greed, or desperation. Clues to where the ORB is hidden away are immediately shared and known between groups: the logic is that word travels quickly about any true rumors regarding the ORB and can be available at the nearest inn or tavern. - The Map -
The world is a generic "Dungeons and Dragons"-esque medieval fantasy. Most fighting is done with swords, bows, or magic. Many countries operate under kings. Its up to us to make this world unique from other generic fantasy settings.
The map can be found in links below. There are two important maps: the interactive map and the static worldgen map.
The Interactive Map -
This is the place the players can impact. Please do draw on it as you progress in the roleplay and add things you see. Ruins? Cities? Kingdom borders? Landmarks? Those will all be placed on the map by the players as they explore. Use tokens to move your party around the map and see where other players are exploring. Players nearby each other can interact!
The Static Map -
This map cannot be changed, but that doesn't mean it isn't also interesting. I've grabbed this map from a world generator, and it comes with a lot of goodies. Use the static map's layers to explore elevation maps, biome maps, rainfall statistics, temperature averages and more. The static map is full quality and can be zoomed in for minute details and hovered for even more details about the local terrain.
- The ORB - No one knows what the orb does, or where it is currently located. Some report it as gold, others white, still others claim it is clear with lightning trapped at its core. Whatever it is, there are enough stories and legends that it is fairly certain that it exists and is powerful, if the right adventuring party were to find it.
Clues: None yet. - Links -
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Post by Brownie on Dec 19, 2021 19:30:37 GMT -5
- Forms -
When joining, please put this form at the top of all new groups. Because we want groups to interact, I want to have a place where people can easily see each groups' goals and location. This should be short and you can change it whenever; you can always start using/rping the group immediately. I don't need to check forms or anything, this is just a reference point for other players to check in on and can be updated on an informal basis.
Group Knickname || Important members || Group goal summary (short please) || Quest Destination (current) || Roleplayer tag
- Groups -
Spears of Kor || Ashe Mordelle, Lucy Webb, Zeph Pederick || The group of Paladins and camp followers are going over the mountains before the attacking army arrives. || Havenhome || Brownie Dead Languages || Lavender, Autumn Dove || Lavender, a Divine, enlists the help of the Mordelle and the Spears to help search ruins for new clues of the ORB. || Ruins around xx Mountains || Brownie Pair of Thieves || Kell & Leif Aspenstorm || The two elven twins have stolen an object from [open] in the Torch Forest and are fleeing with it. || Away from Torch Forest || Brownie The Righteous Flame of God || Uriel and Daniel || A group of adventures who seek to fight against the forces of evil. || The Halls of the Ancients (Currently in a small village called Bullthorn) || Hawkeyes258 The Thunder Brawlers || Vance, Ragnar and Renata || A group of adventures seeking fortune, glory, fame and epic fights! || The Iron City (Currently on the road) || Hawkeyes258 Path of Java || Pasha, Realm and Ehri Tones || The group is currently looking for a map hidden in the Temple of Madud. The map could lead them to rare gems. || Near the Temple of Madud || ♥.•°Insanity°•.♥ The Undeciphered Speakers || Mixecatli, Citsehuatl, Q'umchaa || A trio of two siblings and one stranger, all trying to understand each other and get somewhere safe that is not burning. (Their homelands were torched by marauding pirates.) || Somewhere safe from pirates, wherever that might be. So far they are heading towards Miir-a-Batn. || mossecho
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Post by Brownie on Dec 19, 2021 19:30:50 GMT -5
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Post by Brownie on Dec 19, 2021 19:31:18 GMT -5
Technically open, I know the map isn't up yet, but yall can start now if you wish and we can add to it later!
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Post by Brownie on Dec 19, 2021 23:01:51 GMT -5
- - - Ahhhh I can't get the post layout I wanted cuz it was in fanclans and those get locked :/
I'll just have to be not lazy and make a new one sometime soon.
Hopefully yall find this as nice as I do. I'm excited to see where the worldbuilding goes when everyone is free to run their characters through it plowing new trails and, well, getting their hands in everything. It's nice to just write a BLOCK of text and end it wherever, and then pick up wherever. Let's see how this goes!
Also, I'm totally open for someone to make whoever was stolen from and what they stole! I'm leaving it open ended for a while in case someone wants to jump in on that. The only caveat is that it needs to be valuable enough that they're on the run, though I can also retcon it that they're in a rush to get the object TO someone else. - - - Leif Somewhere South of Torch Forest . Pair of Thieves "We can't stop here," Leif complained, pulling Kell up by the back of their tabard. He looked back down the path, eying the forest behind the two siblings and though no motion stirred the leaves, not even from an errant breeze, they could easily picture the hounds --or worse, horses-- on their trail. "Cmon, we have to cross the river first."
Kell groaned as they staggered forward and Leif had to catch his twin as they faltered. He took Kell under the arm and helped support them as the two staggered down the road. At least it was downhill to the river, though while the bridge was stable, they would need to find another place to swim it if they wanted to lose their scent to the hounds. Leif didn't know if they'd make it that far. He was just as exhausted as Kell and was carrying the bulk of their supplies and some of their twin's weight. "Just a little farther," he muttered, more to himself than to Kell, who was practically comatose as they walked mechanically, stumbling on with Leif's help.
It took some doing, but Leif put the thought of pursuit out of his mind. Simply worrying about it made him tired and they needed all the energy they could get to keep putting his feet in front of each other without falling. Time slipped past. In what felt like an eternity, they finally made it to the riverbank, where Leif let Kell collapse to the grass beside the road. He only took enough time to slip the backpack off before Leif did the same, pushing his back against the earth and closing his eyes against the sun. "A few moments, Kell, that's all," he said, trying to be stern, though he hardly had the strength to be heard over the crashing river beside them.
Leif trailed one hand in the cold water to keep himself awake, but the exhaustion hit hard and he found himself dozing between blinks. Kell had already fallen asleep; he could see the even rise of their shoulders and the eternal frown wiped from their narrow face. He arranged himself so he could see the edge of Torch Forest. If they tried to cross the river now, they would both drown. A few moment's rest, that was all. - - - He startled awake, sitting bolt upright as he scanned the forest's edge and the open hill between them. Then the sky, where the sun had moved startlingly far towards the horizon. Leif swore and picked up the pack, shaking Kell awake. He must have slept for an hour, but he felt no more rested and the pack weighed down heavy as a sack of rocks. He had slept so deeply, a full sleep, not trance, which startled him. Though with all the magic and running, his body must have needed it. "Kell!" he said, shaking harder when the first had no effect.
Kell came to, turning over in the grass and curling their head into their stomach. "We need to go! Either we die in the river or we die with our heads on pikes." Kell finally rolled to sit in the grass, though their eyes were still squeezed shut. "We're stronger than that," Leif said softly, trying to encourage his twin. Kell reached up a hand and Leif helped them to their feet, which they managed to stand on by themselves, albeit a bit shakily.
Leif looked over the river bank, trying to spot a better place to cross. "Let's go downriver. We gotta walk in the river 'n get out a differ't place if we want ta lose 'em," Kell's voice was tired as they pointed downriver, but they led the way and Leif followed. He had felt the nap hardly helped, but certainly they were moving faster than they had since leaving Torch Forest. They stuck to the mostly flat ground on the base of the grassy hill, using the easy footing to make their way down the river, though Leif's ears tingled as they knew they were completely exposed on the open hillside, still visible to anyone leaving the edge of the forest.
"Here," Kell finally said, slowing. Leif couldn't tell the difference between this part of the river and the others, but he trusted his twin's intuition and nodded. He stepped in front of them, inching down the steep riverbank and slipping his boots into the river, hissing against the sudden chill as water sloshed over the rims of his boots and soaked his pants. He stood still for a moment as his toes numbed, then held their hand out to Kell, helping them down into the water. The twins held hands tightly as they inched down the river. Kell's teeth chattered and the only reason Leif's weren't too was because his jaw was clenched so tightly he could feel his bones ache.
The going was painfully slow, and they didn't stay in the river for long before coming back out on the same bank. "We'll have t-t-t-to find anot-t-ther place to cross-s-s," Kell said through their chattering teeth. "T-t-too fast here." Leif emptied his boots of water, though it wouldn't help the cold or the wet, it would be impossible to walk with the added weight. They helped Kell do the same, rubbing their legs to help get warmth into their sibling's body, though that too was in vain. The best they could do was keep walking and let the motion keep them warm as best it could, so they continued on.
It wasn't the cold season yet, thank the Stars, so they did start to warm once they were out of the ice-melt fed river. Eventually, Kell found a good place to cross and they repeated entering the frigid water which was harder the second time, having experienced the biting cold, worse now that the water came up past their waist as they slogged to the other side. He was grounded by Kell's hand in his, pulling his sibling across and stabilizing each other when their numbed feet inevitably shifted on the rocks below. The pair cut a diagonal downstream as they crossed the river and though Leif itched to get out of the cold as soon as possible, they knew it was smart when Kell pushed them further, their turn to urge Leif on as they plodded down the shallows around another bend and then even further, until Leif thought he couldn't take another step, when Kell pulled them towards the shade of an overhanging tree.
They collapsed on the bank, only bothering to again dump the water from their boots before falling on his back in the grass. Kell was equally exhausted, but there was a faint smile on their face. "They'll still pick up our trail, but it should take time to search both sides of the river and we can hope the scent faded by then. That's the best we can do."
Leif grunted an agreement, turning his head to look at the sky. The sun was well below the zenith now, hovering over the trees of the Torch Forest across the river. They rested a few minutes, and though they were both tired to the bone, it was almost easier to ignore the second time around as they both rose silently and trudged away from the river to the wood on this side. They would need to be under the cover of trees if they wanted to risk a fire, and though Leif wished they didn't have to take that coin-flip, he also knew they would be losing toes to frostbite if they didn't get themselves fully dry. At least Kell knew how to make a fire with minimal smoke, and what little there would be should dissipate under the cover of the trees.
They didn't go far before the sun dipped into Torch Forest, bringing a premature twilight as it was eaten by the thick forest's shade. Though the elves' eyes adjusted to the gloom quickly, they found a good camp under a copse of thick, low evergreens and Kell decided they might not find such a favorable spot any time soon, and that they shouldn't pass it up even if they could maybe forge another half mile. Leif agreed and set to grabbing some firewood in the nearby area while Kell started the camp.
The two didn't have any tents. Usually, Leif would use magic to craft some shelter, though he feared dipping into his mana now would do permanent harm. Nevertheless, the two elves were comfortable in beds of pine needles, though they prickled and poked through the blankets they shared near the fire as their clothes were set to dry. The fire was a small thing, barely enough to warm the side nearest them, but the pine boughs hung low like a lady's ballgown, breaking the wind and trapping the warm air inside, and Kell's body was warm against his as the twins huddled together to share their warmth. It reminded him of when they built snow forts as children and refused to leave their "house" until their mother would finally give in and bring another thick quilt so they could comfortably camp outside in the dead of winter.
The pleasant memories of his childhood crowded out the fear of being found, and between that, the warmth, and Kell sleeping huddled beside him, he felt comfortable enough to fall into another deep sleep. He needed it. |
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Post by Brownie on Dec 20, 2021 1:39:55 GMT -5
- - - AHHHH I don't want to intimidate anyone but I wanted to get both "starters" out so to speak so that if people wanted (read: you can totally do your own thing) they could have some landmarks to start off with.
Speaking of, I don't know how large this conflict spans or anything that's up to all yall to decide. They just got called to hold this fort so they are going to do so. Against what army? No clue! haha
ED: And now it looks like at least Autumn won't even BE with the Spears anymore. Great. Why do characters run off on me like that??? - - - Autumn Before the Lover's Pass, Havenhome . Spears of Kor If the road to Havenhome was wide and straight, the army of the Spears of Kor would have been within the gates at dusk. But the only path from the sprawling plains over the mountains was through the steep and narrow Lover's Pass and so the journey would likely take them another three days, if the weather held and nothing went wrong.
In Autumn's experience with moving armies, something always went wrong.
She sighed and plopped down in the grass to wait. Nominally, she was ready to march: her standard issue pack and bedroll were tied tightly for the day's walking, the obsidian-tipped spear the Paladins of Kor were named after was held at rest at her side, and she had even donned the dark plate mail armor she preferred. Not many of the Spears opted for such heavy gear, but she found it was easier to bear its burden now rather than in battle. She only wore it because it weighed just as much when she carried it and plate took time to put on, so this way she'd be prepared if something happened on the road.
Something always happened on the road.
But even if Autumn had been ready to march at dawn, the milling at the front of the line was chaotic as the Paladins broke their normal marching ranks to form the narrower columns they would need to squeeze through the Pass. She doubted the whole line --plus supply, which was its own beast-- would be ready to march until at least noon. At least the day was clear. The sun was rising in the hills behind them and the morning's dew left the grass silvery as spiderwebs.
It also illuminated the trail leading up to the pass like a yarn ball haphazardly thrown down the side of the mountain trailing a thin brown path behind that zig-zagged between stands of trees and large rocky fingers that protruded from the sides of the mountain, hemming the thin trail in even further. Autumn bet it would be a slippery, muddy slide by the time the army had gotten through and she hoped the supply train would manage. They didn't have too much with them, having left most their supply and citizen followers behind at the last city they went through, knowing they would struggle with the pace the Paladins had hoped to set for the rest of the march to Havenhome.
The twin peaks were impossibly tall against the skyline, tipping towards one another at the tops. The small chasm between them sheltered the pass. She decided that the two mountains could appear like lovers, as the Lover's Pass was named, but only if she squinted and maybe got very drunk. They were still beautiful, their tall peaks isolated from the rest of the range, tipped in white snow that blurred against the pale morning sky and shrouded by clouds of fog that condensed against the cold air. Autumn wished she could have been here sightseeing. Instead, knowing she was to climb that herself, with the plate mail and her kit on her back, made a phantom ache pulse in her legs.
She heard a horse's hooves patter against the pressed dirt road and looked back into the heart of the Paladins to see a pair of them trotting off the path into the grass where two companies waited for summons: Autumn's Argus 2 and their connected archer unit, Zonna 2. One of the Paladins swung of his dusk-grey stallion, leaving his assistant on the other horse fumbling for its reigns before the strong horse bolted. "Dove!" Fischer barked.
A portion of the Paladins raised their spears in a hesitant wave.
Autumn scoffed. Half the company were Doves: it was the given surname for any orphans without a known family line. And the Paladins of Kor took in many orphans, most of which joined the ranks of the Spears.
Fischer sighed, a dramatic put upon frown curling his mustache like an ugly caterpillar. "Autumn." He spat the word as if calling a Spear by their first name, instead of addressing them by their surname as was proper in the military handbooks, was a fly he'd found in his stew.
The armor, much like a stubborn stone, would have much rather sat stationary until Autumn was covered in moss, and it took her a great deal of force to convince it to abandon that dream. She swung her kit over her shoulder and hefted the spear as she jogged over to the commander, giving him the proper Kor salute: her spear hand over her chest, point down, the haft to her chin, while the other hand drew the Z-shaped sigil with a closed fist.
Fischer was a stout man a head shorter than Autumn, even without her plate. With it, she loomed over him and she could see him processing that as he took a step back so he could look her in the eye without craning his neck too much. Unfortunately for her, the angle meant that she was looking at his thinning hair to his cherry-red burnt scalp, which was greased through with enough sweat that he looked as if he had run up to the pass and back for his morning exercise. Not that his form suggested he did any exercise at all, rigorous or otherwise.
"Spear Dove," Fischer said, much more comfortable now that he could use her surname. "Senior Mordelle asked for you. By name, you hear, Spear?" She nodded. She didn't relax the salute, feeling Fischer to be the type that wouldn't bear for any informality while in his presence. Autumn was almost surprised he wasn't calling the rest of her company into form to wait, since they were such a blight on the image of the Spears of Kor for being this disorganized. "He's at the front of the line. I want you shining his boots in three minutes, Dove."
"Yes, sir!" Autumn said, holding her salute still until Fischer turned for his horse. She could feel the eyes of her company on her back. They had heard the whole thing, she knew, and the gossip would start as soon as Fischer was out of earshot. At least Autumn wouldn't be there to hear it, as she was already jogging up the road, squeezing between formations as her plate clanked and clammored. She said a flurry of pardons as the Paladins let her pass through. The army felt endless, strung out in narrow columns like this, and she was surprised when she popped out at the front of the line, the sea of uniforms and spears abruptly coming to an end.
A few people on horseback milled about at the front of the line, preparing it to start the journey upward. Autumn didn't need to be told which one was Mordelle: the man was atop a tall, black warhorse in plate similar to her own, with a bold sigil of Kor spreading across the center. He was speaking to a younger, silver-haired person that held the horse's bridle, so Autumn marched over and stood in salute until the silver-haired person --a Divine, she realized with some surprise-- bowed and stood to the side. Mordelle urged his mount forward a step, holding him sideways to Autumn so he could easily speak to her. "Spear Autumn, I assume?"
"Yes, sir. Reporting."
He nodded, though he gazed over the columns, obviously distracted. "Yes, well. I was told you specialized in dead languages before taking up the Spear."
It wasn't phrased as a question, but Autumn answered anyways. "Yes, Senior Mordelle. I studied in the archives." Trying to find the orb, but with no further luck than any other person on the continent that had tried. She even took the time to work through original documents, and though she hated the academics of it all, she had taken to language quickly. For some reason, words grew in her like tangleweed in the herb garden.
"Good, good," Mordelle said offhandedly. He brought his attention closer, looking her in the eye for the first time. "This is Lavender. I'm assigning you to him. From now on, you are his personal aide and escort, understood, Spear?"
"Yes, sir!" she said, though she hesitated. "What about Havenhome, sir?"
He waved a dismissive hand, back to looking over the columns of Paladins as if his narrowed eyes could put them in order by sheer force of will. "Your skills are better suited to Lavender's research."
The thought of missing out on the battle was both soothing and an uncomfortable thorn in her boot. Autumn didn't particularly want to go back to research; there was a reason she left the books behind and joined the Spears, after all. But orders were orders. She drew another sigil of Kor. "Understood, Senior Mordelle sir." He nodded, then urged his horse forward, leaving her alone with the Divine --Lavender-- as he rode down the column. |
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Post by Brownie on Dec 22, 2021 11:34:55 GMT -5
[[ Yall DARE stare back at the ORB and not give it an offering?
Also the map might take a bit longer than intended; in a bout of oversight, I left for holiday vacation before doing it, meaning my drawing tablet is not here and mouse is frustrating. At this time, there isn't too much info so it still isn't necessary, so feel free to start without it. We can fill in details later. ]]
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Post by Brownie on Dec 22, 2021 22:15:18 GMT -5
- - - See, the benefit and the curse of this kind of rp: I can work on replies when I have the time, even if no one has really joined yet. I'm only really available for the next few days, then busy around holidays, then another few days before I leave again and I can easily just slip posts in during these windows.
Anyways, though I have just made these characters up for this specific project, I did base some of them off other characters from other projects like Lavender who is a dear baby and a good mix between Kas and Pan, which are two characters I use quite often for a lot of little things. They'll have Kas's mannerisms, but Pan's curiosity and their more naive outlook on life. Hopefully that'll foil well with Autumn's more stubborn, bash-it-with-a-sword solutions. - - - Autumn South of Lover's Pass, Mountainside . Dead Languages
Autumn really wished they had taken horses, though she knew there were several good reasons they hadn't. First being that the Spears of Kor had no horses to spare, what with the beasts needed both for the battle to come and the rest to pull the reduced, but still formidable, supply through the muddy slope of the pass. The second being that she and Lavender had long since abandoned any roads and were now climbing what felt like vertical slabs of stone, which was not the sort of terrain you could take a horse.
The last reason was more personal, that being that Autumn was bad with horses.
It seemed to her that horses, as a collective, did not like her. She had trouble with even the gentle-hearted mares the old ladies rode from pasture to the Temple. So she was glad they were walking on their own feet, even if her pack felt stuffed with boulders.
She pulled herself up on a ledge and fell to the ground with heavy breaths. "Another break?" Lavender offered. The Divine looked thin as a reed in his travelling cloak and Autumn could have easily gripped his forearm between her finger and thumb, but he pulled himself up beside her with ease. His legs hung over the side of the ledge and he kicked the stone gently with his heels as he looked over the plains below them, his long, silver-white hair teased out by the breeze behind him.
Autumn grumbled something unintelligible until she was able to recover, a feat that took more and more time the longer they travelled. They weren't even headed directly up, either, but sideways across the mountain's side. Most of the "up" travelling they had done was at the head of the Paladins, where they had followed the road until a certain switchback, where they had parted ways with the main column to do this crab-wise walk from crevasse to ledge, dancing on the edge of the slope, slowly curving around the side of the left peak that formed the Lovers.
Lavender waited patiently until she was ready to carry on. She had the impression that he was in no rush to get to their destination, so long as it was before dusk. Autumn didn't ask how far they had to go; she didn't want to know how much longer she would have to struggle across the slope like a Kor-smiting mountain goat. "One more," she muttered to herself as she heaved her pack off the ground. The plate clattered and clanked as it was jostled around inside. She had wanted to wear it --tumbling down the mountain in plate sounded painful, but less painful than hitting her limbs on stone the whole way down-- but the armor was simply not agile enough to cling to some of the rougher patches and she'd been forced to pack it up.
"Mordelle will keep track of it for you," Lavender had said after she had tied the bundle together and began fitting it along the straps of her pack sewn on top for just that purpose. "He will make certain you will not lose it." This had been before they left the column, when they were on the side of the road where the slight trail cut through the long grass, promising a potential path across the hostile stone. Lavender had known where to look, but Autumn guessed she wouldn't have even noticed the small trail if she hadn't been searching, indeed, if she hadn't known it was somewhere in this exact switchback. She hadn't replied to Lavender then, only continued her work on cinching the armor plates tightly against the canvas pack so they wouldn't move.
Several more times, Lavender tried to start conversation. Sometimes about her history in languages, other times about their destination, or the weather. She tried to give some response in the beginning, but quickly talking became difficult as they trekked over harsher and harsher stone. Autumn couldn't even call what they followed a trail anymore, no matter how generous the definition. Lavender was never winded, nor did the short Divine ever need help on the climb. She wondered if it was magic keeping him hale, or if he simply was more fit than he appeared.
They slipped into the shadow of the mountain, where the sun was completely blocked by the Lover's peak. Autumn could see the road twisting out over the plains, but could no longer see the switchbacks the Paladins were following up to the Pass, or the dust trail they left overhead like the smudge of a peach colored cloud. "Ah!" Lavender exclaimed. He pointed down and to their right, where several large, metal cylinders poked out of the mountainside. There was no light to glint off the metal, but they were a shiny grey instead of the matte stone and the round shape stood out against the more rugged, jagged, natural shapes around them.
Autumn let Lavender pick the path to the ruin, following the Divine's footsteps carefully. He seemed to float down the mountainside, carried by some inner grace that she didn't possess, and so she lagged behind as she as forced to test each footfall for scree before setting her weight down. Time felt ephemeral in the mountain's shadow. At least the area around the metal pipes was flat and clear, enough that Autumn's feet could remember what it was like to not be on the side of a mountain for a little while.
"Everyone knows there were Atmeri ruins here," Lavender said, gesturing to the massive pipes. There were five of them exposed, jutting out of the mountainside and then bending at tight right angles to plunge directly down into the earth again. One, however, was broken. It was sheared off just before the elbow and while the lower part had tipped away, the horizontal shaft hung out open a dozen meters in the air, the dark interior a yawning cavern that led to the belly of the mountain. "Only recently had they gotten inside, see? It took three months for Lalit's team to cut the first layer and another three to make a big enough gap for someone to squeeze inside." He grinned, as if sharing the most exciting sports upset ever. "It only took two more days for them to get the entire thing off! Only a dozen screws held it together --massive screws, but only a dozen nevertheless-- and the whole thing popped apart with just a tap. Wonderful engineers, the Atmeri."
Autumn had heard about the Atmer's legendary engineering feats, though she also knew most of the ruins were still undiscovered, as the ancient peoples had preferred living underground or in far thrown, inhospitable lands which were difficult to explore. She nodded as Lavender continued explaining the party that had come before, summarizing their findings which amounted to surprisingly little. "Isn't Atmeri technology valuable?" she asked, "Why would they leave without studying everything they could?"
"The war," Lavender replied simply. "That's why I came with the Paladins. Lalit's team was with the opposing side and they were worried the Paladins might have blockaded the Pass if they were to stay, cutting them off from their homes."
"Doubtful. The Spears of Kor don't mettle in politics." Lavender laughed at that, more a scoff than in humor, and Autumn had to admit that if there was to be anything valuable or useful in the ruin, that the Paladins would not hesitate to... requisition it for the good of the war effort. It also made sense why she was sent with Lavender, though she would have thought Mordelle should have sent more Paladins if it were likely Lavender was going to find something: to bring it back, or to stop Lavender from ghosting away with the loot for himself. Perhaps he didn't expect them to find anything.
Or perhaps he knew there would be no stopping the Divine from doing as he pleased, no matter how many Paladins he had sent to "guard" him. Well, she knew her orders well enough. Mordelle had given her to Lavender as his aide and she figured she could do that much. "So, what's first?" she asked, hoping the answer included finally setting down her heavy pack.
Lavender tapped his finger on his jaw, sweeping his gaze over the small, flat clearing around the bases of the pipes and the cliffside beyond. They couldn't see the sun from the shadow of the peak, but they could see its light across the plain below: it must finally be hitting dusk, as the grasses were turning coppery-gold at the crests of the hills and spread long pools of dim, auburn shadow at their feet. "We rest, I suppose. I don't spend much time outside of inns on this plane, if I'm being honest. Would it be better to camp out here, or in the ruin itself?"
He turned the question towards Autumn, who was surprised she would get a say in their quest, let alone be prompted to make a choice herself. She also hadn't spent much time on the road. Even when she followed the Spears of Kor, she merely set up her tent in the camp spot designated by... whoever it was that worked logistics on laying camp. Autumn shrugged. "The ruin would provide some shelter and I don't think that many predators could get in from that entrance." She pointed to the sheared pipe, which now that they were closer, looked much larger than she had imagined. It had to be lifted at least ten meters from the ground, with the diameter being several times her own height. "The only threat would be from the ruins themselves."
"Ah," Lavender said with a frown.
"Are the ruins dangerous?" she asked, curious.
The Divine seemed to debate this with himself for a few moments, waving his hand in a so-so motion. "Lalit's team had time enough to secure the entrance. These pipes are filled with steam, usually, but they cut into this one because it hadn't any heat readings for their entire first mission." He shrugged. "It should be safe enough to camp in the pipe itself, if that is agreeable. We can establish a more permanent outpost within the ruin itself once you are better rested."
Autumn nodded. "At least it'll keep the rain off."
"Rain?"
"Can't you taste it?" Autumn asked. She had felt it the second half of their climb: the fresh, electric taste of a storm on the way, coupled with an aggressive wind that she hadn't been sure didn't belong to the mountain until she had stepped into this cove. Lavender shook his head, muttering something about math, which she didn't understand one word in four.
"Anyways," she cut in, and his head snapped up, pulled out of his thoughts. "How are we even getting up there?"
The Divine waved a dismissive hand. "That's the easy part. Hold your pack tightly," he warned, and she only had a moment to wonder what for before she felt her feet leave the ground. She gave a most undignified yelp and kicked once before her rational brain caught up and convinced her to trust in Lavender's magic. Autumn stilled herself, fighting the rolling in her stomach as Lavender pulled them evenly into the air as if upon an invisible platform, lining them up with the hole in the pipe and depositing both of them gently inside with a faint click as the magic dropped them onto the metal.
The world spun slightly under Autumn's feet and she walked to the curving wall to steady herself. "Why couldn't you have done that earlier?"
"Pardon?" Lavender said, dusting off the sleeves of his robes.
Autumn felt the world steady around her, enough that she managed to take her pack off and slide her back down the side of the pipe. "On the cliffside. There were plenty of times you could have just." She wiggled her hands upward, indicating the magic.
Lavender squinted, though in the darkness of the pipe, she couldn't really see his face, only that his eyes seemed to glow, so when he squinted, she could see the orbs turn to slits. "I forgot."
She let out a bark of laughter. "You forgot? About magic?"
"Yes well," he stumbled, "I use magic for problems I can't solve any other way. And the cliffs were easily scaled."
"For you!" Autumn interjected.
The Divine shrugged. "It wasn't difficult, so magic wasn't a solution."
Autumn pulled the blankets from the pack, rattling through the layers of plate mail that lined the top to get to it. She bet laying on metal wasn't going to be good for her back, but this curved bit on the side wasn't too bad if she arranged canvas portion of the pack in the gap. She pulled the blanket overtop her, tucking it behind her shoulders and padding some behind her head. "Well I need to rest from that challenging climb," she said, only somewhat sarcastically.
She couldn't see Lavender prepare his own bedroll, but several minutes later she heard his faint snoring. For someone who didn't spend much time outside inns, he sure fell asleep in the uncomfortable metal pipe quickly enough. She shook her head, closed her eyes, and tried to get some rest herself. |
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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Dec 22, 2021 22:58:17 GMT -5
*(Hai! I shall answer the Orb's Call!) The Righteous Flame of God || Uriel and Daniel || A group of adventures who seek to fight against the forces of evil. || The Halls of the Ancients (Currently in a small village called Bullthorn) || Hawky2581 The Thunder Brawlers || Vance, Ragnar and Renata || A group of adventures seeking fortune, glory, fame and epic fights! || The Iron City (Currently on the road) || Hawkeyes258 |
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Post by Brownie on Dec 23, 2021 11:21:28 GMT -5
*(Hai! I shall answer the Orb's Call!) The Righteous Flame of God || Uriel and Daniel || A group of adventures who seek to fight against the forces of evil. || The Halls of the Ancients (Currently in a small village called Bullthorn) || Hawky2581 The Thunder Brawlers || Vance, Ragnar and Renata || A group of adventures seeking fortune, glory, fame and epic fights! || The Iron City (Currently on the road) || Hawkeyes258 [[ Welcome! I'll add the groups to the front and we can get those locations put on the map in a few days once I get the draft up. I can't wait to see where the world takes you. It's a dangerous place out there, adventurers that can help make the roads safer are always a welcomed and respected! ]] |
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Post by Brownie on Dec 24, 2021 0:45:55 GMT -5
- - - Probably gonna keep doing the one post a day until I leave here after holidays. I love seeing family and being back in my hometown, but everyone here are morning people and I just... have so much time to do nothing but read or write and what I'm really saying is that I'm immediately bored as soon as I'm trapped back in my room once everyone goes to bed zzzz
So I write a post here and a few k for my novel and then hopefully I'm tired enough to sleep. - - - Zeph Before the Lover's Pass, Havenhome . Spears of Kor The slog up the mountain was just as painful as Hubert said it would be. Zeph should probably have learned to trust the veteran's word by now, but he always assumed the man was embellishing the war tales for fresh Spears like himself or that, being young and hale as he was, that Zeph would have an easier time at it than the old grouch. Unfortunately, Hubert wasn't lying when he said it would feel like a man would slide back a step for every two he'd taken, and when Zeph found the energy to spare to lift his head from the muddy track, he'd been sorely disappointed to find that he had hardly made a single switchback since the last time he'd checked ages ago.
A shoulder bumped into his and Zeph almost cursed the Spear for throwing him off balance until he recognized Moe. Zeph staggered and caught Moe as they slipped in the mud, their boots without stable footing. The two performed a jerking dance as they held on to each other, trying to keep themselves from both falling in the thick mud and Zeph gritted his teeth as mud spattered to his knee, soaking over his boot in a cold, heavy sludge. A few other swore at them for blocking the path, but Zeph finally managed to stabilize them both and quickly pulled Moe back into rank, though his fellow Spear struggled to keep up. "This smiting mud is worse than a storm," Zeph spat, heaving Moe alongside him until they got their footing.
"Thanks."
Zeph only grunted. Now that the rush of energy was gone, he felt fragile as a candle flame against a gale. "Last switchback until lunch, y'all." Zeph turned to glare at Liam's cheery voice to his other side, though the man had brought good news. He didn't look the least bit hindered in the mud with his legs thick as beams; if anything, he plowed the muck away from him, carving a path for the fortunate Spears lucky enough to march behind him. He loved Liam, he really did. The massive man's spirit was impossible to quench and he was always quick with a quip and quicker with his left hook, getting Zeph out of many a brawl before they were on the march. But now his jaunty whistling burrowed under Zeph's skin and lingered there like a particularly persistent malaise, sapping more of his willpower than the eternal mud.
It was only the thought of food and rest that kept him going that last half-kilometer. The mountainside was hardly fit for an army, but the Paladins whose job it was to stake camp worked miracles as always, and most of the Spears were able to crowd around a few large pots of stew. At least they were off the road and out of the mud.
As Zeph's company pushed their way in, another was being cycled out of their own lunch break. A loud commanding officer bellowed over the lunch camp's hubbub, her voice cracking over the thin mountain air like a whip as she grabbed Spears by the backs of their necks and heaved them into formation. Zeph had to convince his feet it was okay to stop moving once he reached the stew line, falling in behind Moe. A bowl and spoon were shoved into his hands and he fumbled with it all to get his spear secured in his belt so he'd have his hands free for the food. "Ah," Liam said, one of his meaty hands gripping Zeph at the shoulder. The weight of the gesture almost buckled Zeph's shaking legs, and it was only the man's iron grip that kept him standing. "At least we know the stew is seasoned, eh?"
"And warm," Zeph added, still trying to catch his breath. Even as they watched, the camp cooks were shoving in more vegetables, cooking them down and adding fresh to the already simmering pots of stew.
Moe looked over their shoulder, raising their bowl in salute. "At least we get a hot meal," they said. "Think the Spears would revolt if they had ta eat cold tack while climbing that slime." To make better time, the Paladins often took their midday meal while walking. At least on the low road, that had felt more like a picnic than a true march, where they were able to spread out and walk in loose formation. Any stragglers then would just set their own pace to wherever the Paladins had camped that evening, though with the level road and fair weather, it was easy enough to keep pace with their supply.
This march however... The road was only wide enough for eight Spears abreast, and so they were forced to keep tight blocks of formation. The mud and slope were brutal track, but stragglers here would only find it more and more difficult to keep up when they were in the back of the line, trudging through the mud of the entire column's boots. Even so, Zeph knew there were Spears cast to the sides of the trail like crumbs in their wake, collapsed from fatigue, lost boots, or broken spirits. He had tried not to look at them as they passed, for fear that his resolve would waver and pull him to give up as well.
The line moved steadily and soon the cooks were slopping stew into Moe's bowl, then Zeph's own. He thanked the cook and followed Moe to where a few of their other friends from their company ate around a small fire. Many of them had kicked their boots off in a desperate attempt to dry their socks in the brief lunch break before they would have to brave the muddy slopes again. Lunch itself was a somber affair, with the tired Spears entirely consumed with their food. They didn't know how long they would have to eat it and each of them was already starving from that morning's march, so to a Spear they ate quickly and in silence. It wasn't half bad; as Liam had noted, the mixing pot of a stew was well seasoned from the many batches of herbs and salts thrown in, and the broth was fantastic. The vegetables were a bit of a gamble, however, as some were soggy and had clearly been in the pot since the start, while others didn't have time to cook and were nearly raw. It averaged out to be edible, though, and Zeph didn't complain as he emptied his bowl, wishing for a second helping he knew he could never have.
Moe was also almost done with their bowl, pushing around a potato chunk that was fully uncooked at the bottom, as if debating if it was worth it. But then they shrugged, scooped it up with their spoon,, and bit into it with a crunch and a wince. Zeph laughed at their struggle, but to their credit, they ate it. "Like a starchy apple," they commented, putting the bowl down inside of Zeph's empty one on the log between them. "Thanks again, Zeph."
He shrugged and leaned closer to the fire. It was warm out, but the wind and the elevation sent a chill through his bones that even the fire's warmth couldn't touch. "You would have done the same for me."
"I sincerely thought I would be trampled," Moe said.
"That's why we need to feed you more," Liam interrupted, pushing Moe along as he took a seat on the log on their other side. Zeph wasn't even close to comparing with Liam's bulk, but Moe's slim form disappeared between the two of them regardless. They almost seemed a child beside Liam; their dark hair hardly reached the top of his shoulder.
Even so, Moe didn't hesitate to snap back. "Maybe if someone didn't hog the servings."
"I can't help it if the cooks give me more. But then, how else would I share?" Liam said, uncovering the extra half-bowl of stew from behind him like magic. He offered it to Moe, who refused at first, but finally gave in to Liam's stubborn insistence. "It's mostly broth and you need it more than I do," he would say with a grin, poking at his own stomach. Moe ate the extras quickly, though they left a little and passed the bowl to Zeph, who took it without any complaint.
It felt far too soon, but Hubert called the five minute warning for their company. The three Spears groaned in unison, but worked to pull back on their muddy boots. Hubert wouldn't tolerate tardiness, and they'd all have the worst camp duties the veteran could imagine if they were to be the last in formation. The slight break and food had rekindled Zeph's spirits, though dread sunk an icy anchor when his boots hit the mud again. He made it to the forming company block and took his position between Liam and Moe, holding his obsidian-tipped spear at rest beside him. It took longer than he expected for Hubert to cajole everyone into position, even with the threat of latrine digging looming over their heads.
But eventually they heard the call: "Forward!" and Zeph found himself pushed along with the compact formation again, pulling himself upwards towards the Lover's Pass with every step.
At least this time, the mud was firmer, at least until they caught up to the rest of the column.
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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Dec 24, 2021 4:06:04 GMT -5
(No worries! I have a bad habit of staying up way to late but oh well.)
Uriel sat on the ground as he carefully sharpens his greatsword and daggers. While doing so, he could occasionally glance up to watch the people of the village go about their business. Bullthorn was a modest village and the people were kind enough long as you didn't cause a ruckus. He takes a deep breath and exhales as he enjoys the quiet atmosphere. This is the type of place where he wanted to eventually settle down. He wouldn't mind living in a city but figured a village would be a lot nicer.
However, Uriel wondered if that would ever happen. He has stared death a number of times and he wondered when he would breath his last breath. Still, ridding the world of evil was worth it. "You have something on your mind." A voice called out. Uriel snapped out of his thoughts and turned to see Daniel walking over to him. "Just thinking about settling down whenever that happens." He said with a small chuckle. Daniel reaches him hands in his pockets as usual. "I think you would be a great dad. Me however, I'd much rather see the world at least for a little longer." Daniel explained leaning back on his heels as he spoke. "Anyway, Marsha wanted me to let you know that she has some info about the hall of the ancient plus some food. You in?" Uriel carefully sheaths his weapons and rises to his feet. "Course let's go!"
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Post by Brownie on Dec 24, 2021 12:24:00 GMT -5
[[ ooooh I wonder what trouble they'll get into in this Hall of the Ancient ;) Sounds like a good place for some dungeon crawling. ]]
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Post by ♥.•°Insanity°•.♥ on Dec 24, 2021 13:56:09 GMT -5
*Pulls out sunglasses* I will stare back, but with proper eye protection.
Path of Java || Pasha, Realm and Ehri Tones || The group is currently looking for a map hidden in the Temple of Madud. The map could lead them to rare gems. || Near the Temple of Madud || lacuna
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Post by Brownie on Dec 24, 2021 14:45:07 GMT -5
*Pulls out sunglasses* I will stare back, but with proper eye protection. Path of Java || Pasha, Realm and Ehri Tones || The group is currently looking for a map hidden in the Temple of Madud. The map could lead them to rare gems. || Near the Temple of Madud || lacuna [[ That would be wise. No one knows what the orb is capable of, after all. Welcome aboard! ]] |
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Post by Brownie on Dec 24, 2021 20:50:27 GMT -5
- - - Wow it's already Christmas eve. Hope everyone's having a good time and their family is safe <3 good vibes to yall.
I'm trying out different character voices and wow I need to get better at making more dynamic characters. Mordelle feels like a piece of wet cheese sometimes. I promise he's good at what he does, but I need to make him feel more stressed and less in control. I think he's too calm lmao. Though he's also past the point of stress into numbness by now so eh maybe it fits a bit, and he wouldn't be one to complain about things getting difficult. - - - Mordelle Before the Lover's Pass, Havenhome . Spears of Kor "Senior Mordelle!" He stopped his horse again until the Spear could catch up, carrying yet another update about the state of the column. Usually, Mordelle would be able to ride up and down the length himself, making assessments with his own eyes and chatting with the officers as he went. He liked to understand the mood of the Spears as much as he could and adjust the march accordingly; they may be an army that needed strict order, but the Paladins of Kor also valued each Spear's comfort as much as they were able. Unfortunately, this was not one of those times. Mordelle made the hard choice of pushing the column up the Pass as fast as they were able, and even that might not be enough to get them to Havenhome in time to prepare for the upcoming siege. Every minute mattered now, even if the pace he pushed was punishing for those at the back of the column.
Mordelle sent the messenger back with an adapted set of orders and the boy --hardly fifteen, with the bright white shoulder stripes of a corporal already-- gave a snappy salute before disappearing back into the ranks as quickly as a fish into the shoal.
Mordelle rode at the head of the column, where he could easily be found by the never-ending slew of messengers. He probably should have had one of his staff deal with the minor hiccups in the column's march, but he actually enjoyed the interruptions. Anything to keep from dwelling on the upcoming siege and the limited time they would have to prepare for it. It was fortunate that while the Lover's Pass certainly was narrow enough for a good, old fashioned ambush, that their continued hold on the city of Havenhome on the other side meant the Pass itself was safe. Or as safe as it could be, to an army marching the slick slope to mud behind them.
He was fortunate that he was at the front of the column then, since the track in front of him was still solid under the warhorse's hooves. At least the cold of the morning would aid the Spears of Kor: in the morning, after the cold night, the ground should freeze, which should make tomorrow's march free of mud. It would do wonders for the Spears' morale, he knew, even if the trail was steeper, the lack of slippery, sucking mud would make the trip magnitudes easier on the Paladins.
Another horse came up beside him, and Nix shied to the side until Mordelle reassured the horse and pulled her steady. "What?" Mordelle asked frostily, picking up his mount's mood.
"My boys found a good spot to start bringing up camp for the night." Jabbar sat uncomfortably on his own mount: a piebald mare which looked like she'd given up life at the base of the mountain and was merely stumbling on, from momentum or stubbornness Mordelle couldn't say. Jabbar himself didn't look any better off than his mount: a rodent-looking man with a thin beard and plenty of scars, including a prominent one crossing a milky, blind eye. He may have made for an intimidating, weathered commanding officer, except that he was so thin and pale, it didn't look as though he could win a fight with a child or even a particularly stiff breeze.
Mordelle was plenty wary of the man, however. Mostly because the faction of Spears he kept followed Jabbar rather than the Spears, or Kor itself, and Jabbar wasn't afraid to step out of line. For one, he refused to use any of Mordelle's formal titles and only nominally followed under his command. They both knew that Jabbar wouldn't hesitate to use his unit to undermine Mordelle if he thought he could get away with it. But they needed the men, and Jabbar's were some of the most veteran Spears he had, so he held his tongue to Jabbar's egresses and tried to keep him at arm's length wherever possible.
Currently, he had Jabbar's unit scouting ahead, where they couldn't cause any trouble in the column. Mordelle usually wouldn't use them for anything so important, but since an ambush was impossible, he decided it was worth the risk. Jabbar's veterans were the best at combing their path and had an eye for good camp sites; they were the ones that had done the work to set up the lunch station when they uncovered a nearby subterranean spring by the witchwoods growing on top, giving the column a source of fresh water for the Spears and for the stew.
"It isn't even close to dusk," Mordelle commented, after a long break that, hopefully, would show Jabbar who was in charge of the conversation.
Jabbar scoffed. Their backs were to the sun now as they zigzagged up the path and the road itself would be clear as day until the last of the sun dipped beneath the far, far horizon. Of course, Mordelle knew the Spears wouldn't keep an entire day's march through the mud; they would quickly need another rest for food and sleep after he had pushed them so hard. But surely they could make another few switchbacks? The sun was still high in the sky.
The Spears in Jabbar's unit obviously thought otherwise. "They hit a valley on the mountain's side, probably made from a landslide years ago. It would be large enough to fit the entire column for the night off the road. We won't see another such chance until the Pass itself, some of my boys rode ahead and confirmed there was no better place for the next five switches." Almost three more kilometers, then, of the back and forth path.
Mordelle nodded. "Then we camp there. Get Holly and Parson mapping it," he said, naming the two camp staff in charge of delegating tent and fire sites when they rested.
"Already done," Jabbar said. He turned his horse away from Mordelle without dismissal, the sad animal drifting sideways until a tall Paladin with red-banded shirtsleeves caught the reins and heaved the mare along behind them.
He sighed and let the man go, wishing there was some way to consolidate Jabbar's unit into the Paladins without shattering them entirely. Mordelle couldn't deny they were the most useful asset he had, but having Jabbar at the snake's head meant they were entirely a wild card and Mordelle could never fully put his trust in them so long as the old commander held their respect. Politics, he cursed. But that was part of the job, even for the Paladins of Kor. He had hoped the Spears of Kor would run entirely on faith of their order, however much he knew that to be wishful optimism. Of course, the Spears had just as much politicking as any entity that was powerful enough to hold an army, both internal and external, which was half the reason Mordelle was chosen to lead the group instead of his peers.
Just once, he wished Kor itself would do the leading and let him be a mere follower again. He could use the break. |
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Post by Brownie on Dec 24, 2021 23:24:57 GMT -5
[[ Yooooo we have a subpage for character sheets now if anyone likes to use those. They are 100% optional and just a place for YOU to store characters in for your own (or other players') reference. You can go here or find it on the main page at the bottom of the first post under links. And yeah, I may or may not try and set up an interactable map. We'll see if I can get hosting set up after I get the main map drawn out when I get back to my pc and tablet. Hopefully I can get it to work out, which would be super cool. You could place tokens and move groups around real-time, as well as show the burned out husks of all the cities our characters will inevitably raze along the way! ]] |
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Post by Brownie on Dec 25, 2021 23:08:01 GMT -5
[[ Hope everyone had a safe holiday for yall that do christmas, or a good time of rest for those that don't! tbh I'm so glad to be getting back to my normal routine after this. Breaks are nice, but I do Not Function without a routine now that I've set one I like haha I do like being Functional as much as possible. And while I'll have less time to write, I'll be much happier on my own pc. This laptop's keyboard is... not ideal. ]]
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Post by ♥.•°Insanity°•.♥ on Dec 25, 2021 23:43:21 GMT -5
Ooo, I'm excited about this map that you are creating. Such a unique feature, I think. }}
I wasn't really sure where to start this journey, but I think this is a good place to build on the characters during their travels. I am fiddling with their identities but I feel they are a bit hodgepodge for now.}}
Realm
The road to the temple was lost long ago, left behind as they detoured through the grasslands that would lead to the mountains. Wherever they were, Realm wondered if they would ever find it back to regular civilization. It seemed Pasha’s specialty was to take the path that was deserted. The older man believed that the regular road was too simple and would take too much time to travel. A shortcut was needed, and apparently some excitement. The weeds were ragged and alive and they constantly reached out to grab her. It didn’t help that she was the smallest of the bunch and brought up the tail end of the trio. Like spring loaded whips, the taller branches easily came back to slap her in the face. Ducking and weaving and leaping back were doing a number on her stamina, especially for a fairy who was used to flying. “Can someone remind me why we are doing this again?” Realm fished a stray twig from her frizzing hair.
“Mmm, I’m pretty sure it was for you, sweetheart.” Pasha hummed a taunt from the front of the line, not seeming bothered with the travel. Of course, Pasha was no little guy and could probably see exactly where they were going over the tall grass.
“As I recall, the hound ran for days. A trinket and a remedy?” Now Ehri spoke, their voice breathy and whimsical. Only, their words didn't make much sense but they never did. It took 4 days of no sleep for Ehri to reach as close to sanity as they could before slipping into sleep and returning with a disfigured mental state. Ehri chose to be an insomniac rather than face constant insanity. Realm and Ehri had known each other for many years and she could decipher his language every once in a while. Reading between the lines and knowing what to listen for was the trick. Both Realm and Pasha desired something from this trip. The whole reason to travel to the Temple of Madud was because they needed to find rare gems and there was a rumored map. Who would’ve known she’d be out here for stupid rocks. While Pasha merely wanted them, the fairy direly needed them for her ailment.
“Okay, well I am coming to the front because this is getting ridiculous.” Realm huffed as another branch bopped her on the head. With a grunt, she shoved past the two larger men in front of her, although her force really did nothing to them. Pasha tried to say something but Realm quickly cut him off. “I am not getting whacked by another stick or so help me.” She pulled out a piece of metal from her carry bag and extended it into a staff. It was really nothing more than a glorified pole only a few inches taller than she was but it could be a versatile weapon especially for a fairy. Small and mighty. Realm swung on the grasses and weeds around them to clear a path free of malicious sticks but only for a few feet when their journey led to a clearing. “Oh.”
Unamused, Pasha stepped around the small girl and into the clearing. “Yeah, that’s what I was trying to tell you, short stack.” Sending a downturned glare in her direction. His eyes were the color of warm honey but always felt cold as ice. If Realm had known him longer she may have been used to his cold attitude but Pasha was only a recent addition to the crew. She needed someone to lead them who knew a thing or two and wasn't on the verge of insanity every 5 days, even if they were a prick and cost her coin. The fairy let out a sigh, crossing her arms and pouting while she watched him check the perimeter. It was going to be a long trip. That map better be real.
Edit: Fixing spacing... I don't know why my computer always messes up the formatting.}}
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Post by Brownie on Dec 26, 2021 0:02:56 GMT -5
[[ Yeah! I'm super excited to see what I can make work. I want it to be interactable enough that it's easy to change, but have enough detail that people can do what they want with it. I think that's going to be key for a roleplay like this, where the map itself is the thing people are interacting with instead of other players.
And personalities always take time to settle. I'm loving Realm's spunk already though, the poor cutie. She tries. And all three of them have really good character hooks! I really want to see how Ehri is connected to this, or are they just along to help Realm? The idea of choosing sleep deprivation over insanity is going to be fun to balance haha ]]
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Post by Brownie on Dec 26, 2021 1:14:32 GMT -5
- - - I don't want to push these two overly far from Torch Forest in case someone wants to jump in and chase 'em around. Though I guess I can push as much as I want and they'll be the one in charge of explaining why the pursuit hadn't caught up yet haha
I think I'm also going to put summaries on the rest of these for ease of skimming. Since uh, posts like these don't move plot they're just for me to feel out characters and little in betweens and history and all that.
-slight edit for a bit more personality and spice around the midmark. Kell and Leif aren't very functional but they love and protect each other anyways. <3 They'll get better at communicating and helping each other as their arc progresses. I love writing close siblings.
tl;dr: Kell wakes up in the night, restarts fire, has snack, goes back to bed. Nothing important, just fluff. - - - Kell Somewhere South of Torch Forest . Pair of Thieves They woke in the middle of the night, shivering. "Blessed cold," they muttered, pulling the blanket tighter around them. The pine needles rustled as they moved, poking uncomfortably now that they had shifted from where their body had impressed the needles downwards in the night. Leif, like usual, slept like the dead beside them, though his hand quested for Kell in his sleep as if he knew Kell was awake beside him. They grabbed Leif's hand and he snuggled deeper into the blanket with a soft, vulnerable sound.
The fire had gone out. Wind buffeted around them, whistling and rustling the pine needles, but it didn't penetrate the conifer's protective boughs. At least, not much. A faint swirl of cold danced around the trunk of the tree, a tendril of chill that brushed over Kell's exposed face like the feathers of a Frostbird and threatened to worm its way under the blanket and into the cocoon of warmth where the two twins slept. Kell frowned at it, as if that would convince the draught to dissipate. It didn't.
They were still exhausted from their frantic flight yesterday. They could feel it soaked into their bones, making their limbs heavy as their waterlogged boots had been, felt it in their eyes, which ached, maybe more than their legs did --a bold comparison. They should sleep. But they were awake now, their feet still chilled even after they wriggled their toes against Leif's warmer ankles, causing him to kick in reflex to their cold touch. They wished they had socks on, but the damp garments would have pulled the heat from their bones even faster and would be no help in keeping them insulated. Besides, they always struggled to sleep without socks on, unlike Leif, who could sleep anywhere and through anything.
Kell twisted to face their twin, pushing their face into the blanket and curling their limbs in close to warm them. They tried to call sleep again, but it eluded them. They loathed the idea of getting up and losing the bit of warmth they did have under the blanket, but they knew they wouldn't be able to sleep until they at least restarted the fire, and, now that they were awake, their stomach had started to rumble. Kell sighed and gently rolled out from under the blanket, trying not to disturb Leif too much as they wrapped the other end around their twin, closing him back in so only a shock of blonde hair poked out from the top.
They had taken off most their clothes to dry from the soaking in the river, and shivered in only their underthings as they danced across the pokey pine needles to the fire. Leif had gathered plenty of dry wood before they had retired, and so it was easy enough for Kell, practiced as they were with making fires in even harsher conditions, to set the sticks and kindling in a way that the fire would burn slowly. They breathed in their hands and touched a finger to the mat of dried grass, setting it ablaze with a spark of magic. Kell immediately regretted even that small spark, as it left them blinking back dark spots in their vision until their mana stabilized again. They felt a twinge of envy of their brother's skill with magic, but pushed the feeling aside with practiced determination as they did every time they attempted magic. It had worked, hadn't it? Let that be enough.
They arranged the clothes closer to the fledgling flames and quickly pulled on their long jacket. It had only been mildly splashed by the river at the hem and had plenty of time to have dried in the heat of the first fire they had made and although the material itself was still cold from having spent the hours on the ground, their body soon warmed the wool-lined hide as Kell crouched near the fire. Their legs may have been bare, but they used the hem of the jacket to block the wind and pulled their knees to their chest, encasing as much of their skin as they could under the jacket's protective warmth.
Better, Kell thought, the fire lulling them back into drowsiness now that the worst of the chill had been chased away. Their feet were still cold, but they could almost forget that with the rest of their body soaking in the fire's energy. Their stomach rumbled. They ignored it, at least for a few moments longer, lingering near the fire until they nearly fell over, nodding off with drowsiness. Kell had to move to the other side of the fire to rummage through their packs, pulling out some dried fish chips and berries they had forged before Leif had dragged them away from Torch Forest with only a quick summary of what he had done before he used magic to push the wind in their favor, blowing the two of them away from the city like leaves caught in a gale.
Kell winced at the berries tartness; the red, round berries weren't very good, especially after they'd been squished at the bottom of the pack the entire rushed journey, not that Kell was particularly fond of the Fireberries even when they were at peak ripeness. Too sour for his taste. Their mouth yearned for the sweet strawberries that grew in abundance on the south side of Torch Forest, even if they knew those treats only had a short window in the spring that they could be harvested. The dried fish chips were better, though any flavor they once held was leeched out from the heavy salt needed to keep them from spoiling over long journeys. Kell was grateful they decided to keep a few days' ration at the bottom of their pack, just in case.
They wished they wouldn't have to use them. Of course, with Leif being Leif, they knew they eventually would.
Kell figured they should probably be more upset about that. After all, it was Kell who'd made sure their getaway bags were stashed, it was Kell who'd forged for all their food, Kell that chose their path to the river where they had a chance of losing their trail, Kell that had figured the alarms and mustering guards were for them.
Even further, it was Kell that always had to clean up Leif's messes, and that was a full time job most days. Even though the two were the same age, it was always Kell that made sure they were safe, fed and clothed, while Leif, with all his skill with magic, only made life more difficult for them both. It was times like these, when Leif pushed things too far and sent them both on the run again, that these dark thoughts bubbled up like swamp water into Kell's mind. They felt like they should blame Leif, or at least be angry at their brother. They weren't. Which made them more upset than if they had been angry at Leif.
Leif was who he was, and Kell knew they couldn't change that. They wouldn't want to, even if they could. Because while Leif's penchant for sticking his hands where they didn't belong was troublesome, they couldn't deny that he had a talent for thievery and it was those same skills that allowed Leif to make the money they both needed to survive. Without Leif, they would have starved long ago, even with Kell to help supplement with their hunting and gathering.
It was an excuse, and Kell knew it. They could make money other ways. But it was an excuse they were quick to make on Leif's behalf, because as long as Leif wasn't like their mother, Kell was afraid they would forgive him of anything.
With the beast that was their stomach quelled and warmed by the jacket and growing fire, Kell felt fortified enough to peek out the protective skirts of the pine. They'd sleep easier knowing there was no one on their tail or at the very least, to check the moon's progress so they could estimate how much longer they could rest since they would be risking another deep sleep instead of the lighter dips of unconsciousness elves could use to recharge. The meditative catnaps were convenient on the day to day as it allowed them to sleep with one eye open, so to speak, but the deep, healing sleep would allow them to recover from yesterday's exertions completely.
They brushed aside a pine bough with a hand, wincing against the blast of cold air entering their protected shelter. It took them a moment to find the moon's glow in the heavy canopy, and they rather had to judge its position from where they didn't see it, but Kell estimated they'd only have another two hours before dawn. They'd be leaving then, maybe earlier if they could wake Leif. A quick scan down the direction they'd come, back to the river, was empty, even to Kell's sharp elven night vision.
Reassured, they let the pine bough snap closed behind them and went back to the fire, where they let the flames warm them completely again. Just when they thought they'd fall asleep crouched there, they shed the coat, leaving it by the flames, and carefully pulled the edge of the blanket back out from under Leif, slipping underneath and closing them both back under the warm cocoon. "Mmmmm," Leif muttered in his sleep, grabbing onto Kell's wrist with a dreamer's fingers and pulling Kell's limb to his chest, where he wrapped around it. Kell shook their head and got themself as comfortable as they could with their twin latched onto their arm. They thought it would be difficult to sleep again and they were pleasantly surprised when they felt their thoughts dim as soon as they closed their eyes. |
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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Dec 26, 2021 2:02:28 GMT -5
(I'll look into those character sheets for sure. Although, been debating if Daniel should be human or a Tiefling)
The Road:
The sun shined bright in the sky as the Thunder Brawlers made their way down the dusty road. The three adventures were chatting along themselves relating stories from their past or making stories up to impress the others. "And that is why me and my friends were banned from the town of Yewvale." Ragnar said proudly to his companions. Vance shakes his head at his companion. "You have quite the track record my friend. Remind us to keep you away from any daughter or son of an important official." Renata or Ren as she preferred to be called crosses her arms over her chest. "Still, I don't think you took on a bunch of guards plus a goliath. She had seen the Dwarf fight and he was good but Ragnar was known to embellish his stories. Most of the time she would choose which stories to believe and which ones she would write off as a lie. "You know I have a temper Renny. Once I see red it's all over. Although, that was when I didn't have the best control over it. As for the goliath well as the saying goes, the bigger they are the harder they fall." He said with a smirk. Ren rolled her eyes at the nickname. Ragnar loved using nicknames for people and places. She had gotten used to it but would occasionally get annoyed.
The Thunder Brawlers had been together for over two and a half years. The group of consisted of Vander, a half elf fighter, Ragnar, a dwarf barbarian and Renata a half orc monk. Despite, looking like a odd group in general, they all had a love for fighting.
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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Dec 26, 2021 4:50:34 GMT -5
(So I had made a lot of progress on my character sheets until my cat stepped on my laptop and accidently exited out of the forum. All that progress wasted  ) |
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Post by Brownie on Dec 26, 2021 20:17:56 GMT -5
[[ Oooooof I think there's an option to save progress as draft or smth?? Mine makes a popup when I try to close out while making a reply, so you don't accidentally refresh out. It's saved me loads of times.
And totally make a tiefling! I was debating giving Zeph some genasi heritage cuz I think it would fit him, but it really didn't fit with his backstory so I decided against it. I might make Lucy a halfling though; I haven't really started on her, but I think being a smaller race would work well for her motives and design. ]]
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Post by Brownie on Dec 27, 2021 20:22:57 GMT -5
- - - Goooood evening yall. I've been investigating some options for the interactable map and using a few tabletop tools might be our answer. I'm looking to see if it'll be better to use another host, or whether I should use some tools and host myself so that I can keep a tighter leash on who can edit/access it. I don't want random people to come in and ruin the maps! One of my friends loves using the online maps for his pathfinder and might help me host my own if that's possible, which it should be.
The idea is that anyone here would a) be able to add location tags and icons to the map, showing cities or ruins or other landmarks b) be able to move tokens around indicating their current party's location and c) be able to draw directly on the map, both current and projected routes for their party. Depending on the sourcecode we use, this may either be real time, or will update on refresh. I think either way works for this type of project.
I'll keep yall posted on the status of the map. The only downside to any of this is that I'd need to upload the "base" map as an img file, meaning that the terrain would be somewhat set in stone from the get-go. I don't really like to limit worldbuilding in that way, but so far I don't think we've found any options that are terrain-modular and can change easily. I COULD always "fog" the map until it's been explored, but I would have to manually add the terrain tiles each time they are revealed. I wouldn't mind doing something like that, but that does mean I'd have to find the time to keep up with the map myself.
We will see what I can get working. Maybe I can find a program that allows the addition of tiles modularly and we can keep both good sides. If anyone has any options they've used in tabletop rpgs that might work lmk and I'll look into them if we haven't already. We've checked the big ones so far, but I know there's a lot of personal source out there. I'd like it to be free or maybe ~20$ non-sub all-access kind of deal.
tl;dr: map on the way. Lucy rides in the food cart up the mountain, tries to get information from the Spears to use against them in the siege. - - - Lucy Before the Lover's Pass, Havenhome . Spears of Kor She did not like walking. There were many things Lucy didn't like, actually, and many of them could be found on the mountainside: walking, as she already noted; cold, which wormed its way into her boots no matter how many socks she pushed into the toes; silence, which made Lucy feel even more alone; and cooking, which, unfortunately, was her job.
Lucy stumbled again, inevitable as the blessed stars with the slope and these overlarge boots. The halfling cursed under her breath and hurried onward as the press of Paladins marched behind her. She knew they wouldn't --couldn't-- stop if she fell. They'd merely trample overtop her, pressed ever upward like a rising tide of boots and spears and horses. The sturdy columns terrified her.
She scrambled closer to the wagon's side, putting the sturdy wood between her and the Spears marching up behind. "My turn," Lucy called, bashing the side panel as hard as she could while she struggled to keep up with the wagon's pace. Blessed horses with their blessed long legs. She hit the wagon's side again, painfully hard, stinging her cold fist. The door finally cracked open, and Lucy slipped her hand into the gap, heaving herself inside before they had time to close it on her.
Eddam glared. "It's not your turn yet, Lucy," he said, the dragonborn's voice a low growl.
She waved him off. There wasn't much space in the wagon, packed as it was with crates and crates of food, but the halfling was small enough to squeeze in the gaps and found herself a good perch atop a barrel of carrots. "It's not like I weigh the horses down any," she said back. Lucy wrapped her scarf tightly around her, wriggling her freezing toes to try and warm them. "My legs are too short to keep up."
"That is not my problem." But she knew Eddam wouldn't do anything to chase her out. He was already rubbing his knee; no doubt the cold made his twisted leg ache, and so he wouldn't want to get up to physically throw her out. Knowing that, Lucy relaxed against the barrel. They didn't have long to go until dusk, but it was still good to be off her feet. The dragonborn sighed in defeat and a spark of light flickered in the darkness. - - - A few other camp aides took their turns riding in the cart, but Lucy didn't call attention to herself as they each took their brief respite and then were sent back out to walk by Eddam once their turn was over. Each time the wagon door opened, she only pulled her scarf tighter to chase off the chill. She tried to ignore their hostile glares and the guilt that prickled in her gut. Neither was strong enough to convince her to leave the wagon.
Eddam ignored her too, for which Lucy was grateful, as she didn't know what she would have to say to her supervisor. Perhaps she should be talking with him, though, as he surely would have more information regarding the Paladins of Kor and their potential plans at Havenhome than the other menials did, or even the Spears that she tried to talk to as she was doing her supposed duty of serving evening meals. The ambitious parts of her said she needed to use this time to build a friendship with Eddam, use him while she still could. The cautious side told her to not draw attention to herself, that she couldn't risk Eddam growing angry with her, and that she would much rather waste this risky opportunity if it meant she didn't have to walk in the cold.
So Lucy bit her tongue and the trip went by in silence until the carts slowed, then stopped. "Out," Eddam snapped to the blonde man who had been taking his turn in the cart. His cane whipped forward but the man was quick on his feet and dodged by jumping forward, pausing only long enough to fumble the latch to the wagon before he dropped to the ground outside. "You too."
Lucy climbed down from her perch on the carrots, worried that Eddam's cane would chase her as it had with the other man, but Eddam only narrowed his golden eyes at her as she scurried to the door and let herself down. Eddam himself stayed inside the cart, calling directions to the crew that had gathered outside to start unloading the crates of food. Since Lucy was much too small to carry the heavy loads, she instead made her way to where the large cookfires were being set up and busied herself with that, helping a woman with long, dark hair set the logs as she worked the kindling and before long they had the fire roaring and the massive pot hung overhead, balanced on a tripod with heavy chain.
The woman didn't speak, but smiled a quick thanks at Lucy before she was called away. "Here," another cook called with the black stripes over their front that marked them as upper staff. They shoved a pile of bowls in Lucy's arms, which the halfling struggled to keep balanced. The cook didn't say anything, merely pointed at the line that always quickly formed the moment a cookfire was lit and disappeared for another task. Lucy sighed but did as she was bid, starting at the front of the line and letting the Paladins swipe bowls from the top as she moved alongside.
Her ears were open as she followed the line back; the juiciest tips were always from the first Spears in line, since the companies at the front of the formation were usually veterans and officers.
"Not even to the top yet--"
"Havenhome has the best wool. Maybe I'll find a skirt--"
"I heard Mordelle went on ahead." Lucy locked on to that conversation, standing still and holding her bowls out so that those moving in line could grab one as they passed, but so that she would be closer to the officer who had spoken.
She was shoulder to shoulder with a man who had the sigil of Kor outlined in white on his uniform sleeves. "I suppose you could see all the way to the bottom of the mountain at the Pass. Perhaps he wanted to know how long he'd have to fortify Havenhome before the others arrived," he said.
"At least they'll have to march uphill, same as us."
"Though we have a friendly city awaiting us at the top," the man noted. "Imagine marching this, but with solid shot* overhead." He made sound effects as he mimed the guns, and the two officers both laughed as the line inched forward.
Lucy ran out of bowls and so she was forced to abandon the conversation and return to the cookfire to restock. Overall, not the most impactful information. She already knew their hopes of taking Havenhome the traditional way; anyone could see the upward march was doomed to fail, she hadn't needed the officer's poor dramatization to tell her that. Lucy knew that even if she gathered nothing more from the Paladins, just giving their approximate numbers and the rough fortifications of Havenhome's interior would be enough information that Rowan would consider her mission successful. But having seen the Spears confident march, she knew that only troop information wouldn't be enough.
She tripped on her shoes on the way out, scattering the bowls across the ground with a clatter of wood. So much for not drawing attention, she thought from flat on her face. Her arms had caught the brunt of it, though, and the only thing bruised was her pride, and maybe her cover. --- WIP ig. I'm tired time for sleep <3
*idk what tech level we're sitting at here, but this could easily be anything from rocks to arrows to magic to cannon. It's a variety pack of anti-siege weapons.
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Post by Brownie on Dec 28, 2021 21:13:03 GMT -5
- - - Lazy day today. I was supposed to go somewhere but plans got cancelled and honestly I'm kinda glad cuz I needed time to recharge. And to binge watch all the fnaf:sb content from the last week. I can't believe they got that huge cypher solved in like, four days. bonkers.
tl;dr: Mordelle goes ahead to the pass to check on the opposing army's progress. Amara warns him of Jabbar's tricks. - - - Mordelle Lover's Pass, Havenhome . Spears of Kor Mordelle had, in fact, moved on ahead. He trusted his camp staff to handle the Spears while he was gone. The commander had wanted to go alone, but after a long argument with Amara, he caved and allowed his second to assign him a small escort.
Despite having to slow for the two packhorses, they still made good time up the mountain and Mordelle brought his horse to the peak of the pass while the sun sat fat and heavy on the horizon behind him. "That sure is a lot of 'em," Boris said, his voice a monotone bass.
"Rock munchers, all," Taliyah scoffed, drawing her horse up beside Mordelle's as the three gazed off the mountain's peak to the valley beyond. The air chilled as she came closer, cold enough that Mordelle's mount took a step away and shook her head, uncomfortable around the air genasi's latent magic. He patted Nix on the neck and the horse calmed.
It wasn't an encouraging sight, and even with his experience in the field, Mordelle struggled to comprehend the sheer size of the opposing army camped in the valley, only visible as a sea of campfires, torches, and the smudge of smoke that settled overhead of the army like a monster made of fog. The encampment was as organized as an inkblot, spreading over the slight hills at the valley's base and creating a cordon of light between the mountains' feet.
"Two to one?" Taliyah estimated.
Mordelle shook his head. "Probably more like four to one." He pointed further, where the light didn't reach, there was another cloud rising down the road, blurring into the distance. "Dusk comes early on this side of the mountains," he reminded them, "the tail end of their column is still marching in." Sure enough, even as they watched, more light spread down the roadside as the camp expanded to accommodate the troops marching down the valley's base.
"We have the high ground," Taliyah said. Solidly in the road between the Pass and the approaching army stood Havenhome, which shone as its own bright, blaze of light, like a sun trapped on the cliffside. It wasn't the largest city, but its walls were high and half of it was ensconced within the mountainside itself, sheltering the center of the city with a broad shelf of stone. Mordelle depended on its long flank facing the roadside; there was no other way to get an army over the mountain for kilometers without passing through Lover's Pass, and first through the narrow road that wound through Havenhome's attached fort.
Satisfied that the Paladins would at least make it to Havenhome before the attackers could, Mordelle turned Nix around, back towards the sunset and where the Spears were starting to camp. Their smaller army was also beginning to be lit by the cookfires, and he could easily see the encampment like a glittering field of fireflies nestled on the side of the cliff. "I've seen what I needed to see."
Taliyah continued to speak with Boris, mostly demeaning the other army. "Havenhome hasn't fallen for centuries," she said airily, "and the bulk of the Spears were within a few days march. I almost pity the fools."
Boris grunted agreement and Taliyah continued along the same vein, much as she had on the journey up the Pass. Mordelle stayed out of it, leading Nix carefully down the mountain trail so the dark horse didn't turn a hoof in the gathering twilight. The road was, for the most part, level, but there were some sections that had been weathered away and were apt to crumble into small potholes where water had pooled and weakened the earth in seasons previous.
"Finally!" Amara said as she swept out, seemingly from thin air, into the road in front of him. "I couldn't say if you were dawdling or got carried off by a dragon."
"I would hope you'd have seen the dragon from here."
Amara's long, flowing dress billowed as she waved her arm. "It's just a figure of speech," she pouted. A clump of Spears in uniform rushed up from behind her. Mordelle knew the frustration of a Spear when their charge had given them the slip and he could see the familiar glint in the lead Paladin's eye as they glared at Amara, even if they did salute and give the correct politeness to their superior.
Three of the Spears came to fetch their horses, so Mordelle dismounted and allowed the thin man to lead Nix back to the camp to be settled in for the night. Once the horse was away, Amara closed the distance and wrapped Mordelle in an embrace, the mass of ribbon-like hangings on her shoulders and elbows rustling as she moved. "Jabbar is up to no good again," she whispered against his ear. But before he could say anything back, she pulled away and held him at arm's length, beaming as if she hadn't said anything at all, which he took as a clear sign someone was watching them.
Mordelle beckoned the lead Spear, who had been holding salute behind Amara, though he could tell they still seethed under their rigid posture. "I'd like supper in my tent, tonight, Spear," he ordered.
"Sir," they said, then turned and ordered one of the other Spears behind them, who saluted in turn and went back down the road to the camp. There were three Spears left, plus the corporal, standing at attention. Boris and Taliyah had also come up behind him. For once, the air genasi was silent as she waited for orders. Mordelle dismissed them all.
"Amara will be taking supper with me. I can escort her back."
He hung back and waited for the Spears to put some distance. The corporal hesitated with them for a few moments after their men had left, but they must have decided they were close enough to camp as they gave one last tight salute and trailed behind, leaving Amaura and Mordelle behind.
"What is this about--"
"My dress?" Amara interrupted, taking Mordelle's arm even though he hadn't offered it. She pulled him down the road. "I knew you would ask, Ashe, isn't it gorgeous?" He murmured an agreement and she strove onward. "It was a gift from Rosanne, ah, Mistress Brockwell. The blues do wonders for my eyes, don't you think? And these ribbons, my, I feel like a faerie." |
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Post by Brownie on Dec 29, 2021 2:27:00 GMT -5
- - - See I can use muse. Sometimes. I really do need to work on making characters have more personality, I just also like the sci-fi infodump prose lmao
I tried something new. It was fun. I probably should have made the characters Liam and Moe and changed some things to fit them instead; I also have a bad habit of just... making more characters instead of altering the scene to fit the characters I already have established. But whatever, now we have MORE background namedrops to have in fight scenes.
tl;dr: Zeph and the crew have camped for the night. They play a friendly game of truth or dare, in which Quinn reenacts an embarrassing story. Zeph has anxiety over the upcoming battle, poor baby. - - - Zeph Lover's Pass, Havenhome . Spears of Kor "One more toss for me!"
"Double sixes and..." Jennie paused, thinking of a suitable dare for the odds.
Quinn palmed the two die and they clacked together in his closed fist as he shook them. "Cmon," he prompted when Jennie took too long.
"Go with the classics," Moe said, speaking up from over Jennie's shoulder. "Double sixes and you have to tell your most embarrassing memory."
"That's hardly a dare!" Quinn argued, but he tossed the dice anyways. The crowd around booed as a four and a two came up. "I'll still tell it!"
Liam laughed. "That's not how the game works, Quinn."
Quinn rocked back on his heels. His jacket was untucked and muddied in the dirt, but the scruffy Quinn paid it no mind. "It's supposed to be a dare, though. Tellin' embarrassing stories isn't nothin."
"Tell!" someone shouted, and the call became a chant around the campfire. Quinn stood and encouraged them until the group was roaring with laughter. Only after they had to stop and catch their breaths did Quinn begin the tale.
"It was a dark and stormy night," he said, gently, softly, enough that everyone leaned in to catch his words and the cheering stopped completely. "I was a troublemaker, then, a real pain in my pa's rear, so he sent me out in that storm to go pick up flour from the mill." Quinn started acting the scene then, pretending to push through an imaginary storm as he paced around the fire. Someone used a bit of thaumaturgy to create the impression of a gale, causing Quinn's open jacket to flap and whip his dark hair around his ears. The crowd cheered for that and Quinn adapted quickly, playing into the scene as he shielded his eyes and peered over their shoulders.
"I battled that storm every step of the way. Lightning hit the road not ten paces in front of me, BANG--" he jumped back, drawing startled shouts from Jennie and Memir behind him. "I wet my pants right then and there, but!" Quinn pointed a finger towards Liam, "that's not the embarrassing part. Anyone would have done the same, right? No one could blame me for that. Besides, no one saw, and I was already soaked to the bone!
"No the embarrassing part came after I collected the flour. It was still storming, see, and that was a problem, because my ma was making bread that night and she would have beat me if I came back with wet flour." Quinn shook his head and leaned in towards Zeph, announcing in a stage whisper, "that's probably why Pa sent me out in the storm in the first place."
He grabbed Moe's pack and held it like a heavy sack of flour. "So I had the wonderful idea of carrying a barrel over my head! Keeps me and the flour dry, right? There were plenty of empty barrels from the corn harvest around the mill, so I put the flour bag over my shoulders and the barrel over my head." He didn't have a barrel as a prop, but he did manage to balance Moe's pack around his neck as he squatted lower with a pretend barrel over his head. "It was heavy, but I was a strong kid and I managed. The only problem was that I couldn't see anything besides my feet!
"Easy, I'd just follow the road from the mill to my house. It wasn't that far and I'd walked it a million times before. I'd remember how to get back, right? Except I didn't remember that smack dab in the middle of town, there was a lamp post in the middle of the road." Quinn mimed bouncing off the post, landing on his butt in the grass beside the fire to the roaring laughter of the others. "Flour caked everywhere! And the next thing I know, someone is screaming "ghost, ghost!" and the whole town is opening their shutters, and the girl that screamed had fainted right on the doorstep!"
"That's not so bad!" Liam called.
Quinn sat up, pointing a finger at him. "It wouldn't be, but that's the story of the first time I met my wife!" He stood up, brushed some of the dirt from his pants and handed back Moe's pack. "She still teases me endlessly about that," he said, grinning. One last puff of thaumaturgy billowed his coat and Quinn bowed to the cheering crowd of Paladins before plopping down onto the ground between Liam and Jennie. He tossed the dice to her.
"Nope," she said, hiding them in her pocket. "No one's gonna beat that performance tonight."
Quinn punched her shoulder. "You're just too scared to take the dare," he teased.
"Or I just know we'll be at the back of the column again tomorrow and we should probably all get some rest."
Quinn melted to the ground with a groan, further dirtying his jacket. Several others complained for Jennie ruining the fun, but she held up her hands. "I'm only trying to help you make a choice you won't regret in the morning," she said firmly. "I am in charge of y'all, remember? You want the order? Fine." She clapped her hands. "Bedtime."
The others grumbled, but one by one they did filter away from the fire towards their tents.
"I didn't know Quinn was such a good actor," Moe said after they pulled Zeph back to their shared tent. Zeph grumbled something in agreement as he pulled off his jacket. Moe tipped their head, their shock of red hair bright in the torchlight. "You okay, Zeph? You look off," they said, worried.
"Just tired," Zeph said, peeling off his socks. In all honesty, he'd felt off since their stop for lunch, but he didn't know how to explain the feeling and so he didn't want to worry Moe over it. It was like he was in a chamber far away and it took several seconds for anything to reach him there. The delay was disorienting and he felt himself moving sluggishly. Rest would help. Probably.
He got into his bedroll. Zeph could feel Moe's worried eyes watching him for several moments before he heard the rustle of their own blankets as they, too, settled in to sleep. "Night, then," they said.
The delay kicked in again and Zeph figured too much time had gone past for him to respond. So he kept his silence and worked on trying to sleep instead. That, at least, came quickly. |
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Post by Brownie on Dec 29, 2021 15:07:13 GMT -5
[[ The maps are tentatively up. I didn't do much customization in them; I just cycled through some random gen maps until I found one that I liked. We may or may not settle on something else, but let's try out this set of programs for now. The interactable map is through owlbear rodeo. Just click the link, no need for any accounts or anything. The pass is "orb". You can create tokens, move them around the map, and draw on the map with lines and shapes. Feel free to mark cities, paths, ect. If it gets messy, we can clean it up later. I'll periodically compress landmarks down onto the map layer itself, so please do draw on it. Tips: If you're writing with a mouse like me, you can highlight the map in a color and use the sides of the map to put your labels. Zooming is super helpful. You can zoom and resize tokens as well You can name tokens You can add your own image to the token too, if you wish. Make tokens groups, not individual characters. You can highlight an area of land with the square tool under the drawing tools. If your zoom flips out and you lose the map, just refresh and it'll recenter. Everything is saved in real time so you can't lose anything There's also a link to the static map. You can use the triangle in the top left to toggle on and off layers. Anything that is terrain is "cannon", including biomes, temperature, rainfall, ect. Anything cultural, like city boundaries and things, is not "cannon". We can totally do some... altering of the terrain as well at the local level. Adding forests or mountains or such, or changing elevation. All totally fine. We might also want to add a warmer climate somewhere, since this map is predominantly temperate even at the "equator" (though do note the lower eastern coast is rainforest/steppe). Anyways, let me know what you guys think! Test em out, please and send me any feature requests and I'll try and find a program to better host it. Also, now that I know how to work the software and link everything up, let me know if you want me to roll the world gen and find something different, or if this continent is a good base for you Hawkeyes258 ♥.•°Insanity°•.♥ ]] |
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Post by Brownie on Dec 29, 2021 22:25:57 GMT -5
[[ Finally got around to putting down some landmarks on the map! Colonize wherever yall see fit, it needs to feel alive <3
Also I really need to stop myself or I WILL just sit here for hours making port cities lmao. We have so many really cool waterways and they need to be exploited. ]]
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Post by Brownie on Dec 30, 2021 1:12:37 GMT -5
- - - Now that the maps are open and (hopefully) debugged to the best of my (limited) ability, this place is 100% operational. I'm really excited to see where everyone else takes this! I'm just going to sit in my little corner of the world and do more fluff now, thank you very much.
Also I cut my finger opening ice cream today :( the plastic was super sharp and it actually cut into me really deep right along the pad of my pointer finger, so it's hard to type. Doesn't hurt at all tho, fortunately, just stings a bit. It's the bulky gauze that makes life difficult (I can hardly play binding of isaac now) :(
Sometimes I just like to alternate POVs so it feels more like a roleplay, even if I'm not waiting for a reply. It also helps get in the character's mindset. I would normally probably keep in Autumn's POV if this were a novel/short/ect since she parallels the reader better as a "blank canvas" for worldbuilding, while Lavender's POV would be more established. But guess what? I'm allowed to write snippets from all POVs here.
I used dice to see if there would be an encounter here (17+ yes, ever number greater than = number of thing) and hit the 17. So we get an encounter! The interactive map is meant for tabletop, so the top left there's a digital dice box. It's super handy for randomizing!! (even just rolling a d4 or d6 for odds and evens = yes/no). I might even ooc insert my rolls just for funzies so yall can see what got randomized and results of that. It shouldn't break flow too badly.
tl;dr: Lavender takes watch over the pipe, having not told Autumn fully of the potential dangers lurking inside the ruins. A small Atmeri construct approaches. - - - Lavender South of Lover's Pass, Mountainside . Dead Languages
Lavender thought he was fortunate that he didn't require much sleep. Rest only helped him replenish his magics and since he had spared that yesterday, he felt no need for it other than a quick hour's nap. He glanced over at Autumn under her blanket on the other side of the pipe, resting peacefully if uncomfortably against the metal, and he gave a thin smile. "Sorry," he apologized to her as she slept, "I hadn't forgotten my magic. I can't spend time recovering, see?"
He probably should have warned her of the dangers in the ruins and why he felt the need to stand guard over the tunnel. It was unlikely that anything in there was still alive, having been buried in the Atmeri ruin for decades or maybe even centuries, but the Atmeri did have a knack for both mechanical and biological modifications and it was possible something in there could still be wandering the halls. Better to be safe, the Divine thought as they watched the dark, yawning pipe that plunged into the mountain. His could see farther than a torch would cast light, and so he sat watch in the darkness; he wished he could summon a small flame, just enough to read by, but even that slight illumination would have dulled his night vision.
Lavender hoped Lalit's team unscrewed the other end of the pipe. It would be an easy enough task from the inside. He frowned at the sudden wish that they hadn't, for if it were still sealed, there would be no threat of Atmeri constructs wandering in on them. He wished he had some of Lalit's notes. "Smiting mortals and their wars," he muttered, shaking his head. A clump of his silvery hair in the corner of his eye startled him, on edge as he was, and his mood lightened as he went to fix it. He untied the rest and used his fingers to comb it out before busying himself by putting it back together in several different braids.
The familiar task soothed him and the time slipped past while he watched, quietly.
[ Encounter check: 1d20, 17+ pass and # of constructs. Result: 17 :: one construct appears ]
The sound, faint as it was, began as a rhythmic tap, echoing upon itself as it travelled down the metal pipe. At first, Lavender dismissed the sound as rain, which had started to fall in earnest some time before. But the rain faded and this sound was constant. He had been fiddling with his pack, sorting and checking --and double checking, yes-- his materials, when he sensed movement flickering in the darkness ahead. Instinctively, the Divine stilled.
He had focused in on the movement, but it was gone now. It was only with great willpower that he instead unfocused his vision, centering his gaze somewhere in the indistinct gloom, that he caught sight of it again. The tap-tap-tap followed. Whatever it was, it wasn't large. He couldn't judge distance well with his night vision, but it couldn't be larger than a large cat or maybe a fox. The Divine had noticed it farther out, and gave it time to perhaps turn around.
Only when he was certain it was on a path straight towards them did he stand up, move quickly towards Autumn, and shake the Paladin awake. She grumbled and Lavender shook her harder, enough that the plate armor beside her clattered against the rim of the metal pipe. He winced at the noise, but at least Autumn startled awake, hitting her head against the metal in the process. She swore loudly in the darkness. "What-"
The click-click of the construct hadn't slowed. It was evident, now, the clockwork creature's mechanical footsteps as they echoed down the corridor, no longer mistakable as rain or wind. Lavender had hoped to stay quiet and avoid its notice, but that was impossible after the armor's sound and Autumn's cry out. "Lavender?" she asked, reaching a hand out.
"Oh," he exclaimed, realizing that, being human, she was blind in the pitch black. He conjured a small orb of light and set it to hover above them at the top of the tube. It was obvious by now that she had noticed the construct's footsteps and she squinted that direction, her hand already around her spear as she took Lavender's offered hand and stood. "I think it's a construct," Lavender explained. "The Atmeri were master engineers, and they made many clockwork machines to fix the other machines."
"Save the history lesson," Autumn said, her voice deeper than usual and raspy with sleep. "Is it dangerous?"
"I don't know, that's why I woke you."
It was within twenty yards now. Their talking hadn't made it move any faster than it had before, which was a good sign. Hopefully that meant it wasn't sent out here with the intention of attacking the intruders. Lavender made a quick mental note about that; he'd read a lot about Atmeri, but this was the first time he'd stepped foot in one of their ruins. He didn't often visit this plane.
He sent another light sailing out down the tunnel. It couldn't go far, and he tried to keep it close to the top of the pipe so it wouldn't blind them, but it helped in illuminating the ground between them and the approaching construct. "We shouldn't try to harm it," he warned Autumn. "I don't know how many working Atmeri constructs still function."
Autumn hefted her spear by her side and glanced longingly at her armor, obviously uncomfortable fighting without it. "Yeah well, if it comes at me, I'm smacking it," she said, and Lavender couldn't disagree that option might be prudent. |
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