Fantasy Ebondusk

[Carl]

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Credit to Pooka for the logo.

Time Stamp: 21th of Fall, 173 A.P 'After Purge'

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"Shouldn't be too long now..."


Sophia, the leader of Eos, mumbled softly while leaning over a desk, glaring at makeshift blueprints and all sorts of documents, without directing herself to anyone in particular. Giving off the impression that she was talking to herself, add that to her being holed up in a sealed mausoleum in the Fogbed Cemetery of Ebondusk, and you got yourself a clearcut impression of a crazed necromancing hag. Of course that was far from the truth, even more so, Sophia wasn't even talking to herself as a man tapped his foot excessively against the stone floor in an unsatisfied manner after she tried to soothe his impatience. Eventually the back of the chair creaked as Dmitri Voss finished his rebellious tapping and leaned back, waiting for the other members of Eos to arrive. There have been rumors spreading amidst the members, that there would be new blood joining their ranks. Whether or not that would be the case, was kept in the dark with utmost efficiency by Sophia's sharp wit and silver tongue. Due to his cynical nature, Dmitri has since long suspected Sophia to practice the ancient arcane art of Hypnotism, similar to himself...But truth be told, he wasn't sure at all, it's common knowledge amongst hypnotists to never, ever, reveal their ability to anyone. Afer all, Hypnotism loses most, if not all, of its utility once people around them are aware and on guard.


His eyes hovered around the dark and damp environment he was in, cobwebs had been removed for the most part, but here and there were some impudent lill' bastards spinning their way back into the fray. Dmitri wasn't about to become Eos' cleaning lady, so he let the hairy little critters shuffle around as he waited. Occassionally shooting a thunderbolt-look at Sophia, who was too busy going over her precious plans, parchments and whatever the hell it was she was occupying herself with at the moment. Dmitri was one of the first members of Eos, joining Sophia and her idealistic crusade, and he knew well enough not to push her buttons too often. She was a fairly patient person, not high on power and whenever she barked a command, it was clear to all that what she did was needed to ensure the safety of her comrades, the achievement of their goals or the annihilation of their enemies. A good leader, al though Dmitri would never say that out loud to her face.


He was about to stand up and walk around as he could feel his foot starting to fall asleep, when he heard shuffling coming from the corridor connecting their hiding den with the outside world. A familiar voice was resonating in the hallway loud enough for both of them to make out it wasn't a raid, simultaneously they moved their hand from their weapon and smirked at one another as the footsteps drew nearer...


@Kharmin


@Ire


@Archangel


@Esme


@amdreams


@Cipah


@The Empress of Ice

 

[Mordecai]

The sun was bright and shining down on the gorgeous afternoon as the streets of Ebondusk. It was a lovely day, late autumn, where the air was still warm, but there was a chill on the breeze. Tiny wisps of cloud floated by on the horizon, like lost sheep scattered out across the sea of blue. It was lovely in every sense of the word, and had Gwen not been on a mission for the day, she might have stopped to admire it a little. Instead, she was jogging with her eyes trained straight ahead. Gwen was not usually so candid; she usually preferred to stroll along slowly, taking her time to traverse point A to point B, smelling every metaphorical flower along her route, but today was unusual. Today was the day she was cordially asked (and by cordially, she meant offhandedly and by asked, she meant told) to visit with the other members of Eos, as while she had met both Sophia and Dmitri, she hadn’t been formally introduced to anyone else. She had even gone to the trouble of fixing herself up for the occasion. The blonde chunks of braided hair seemed more tame than usual, and any mire from her blacksmithing had been wiped clean from her face, leaving her face bright and clean, if not a little sleepy.


Even her attire, in a deep shade of earth green, seemed a bit more clean and polished than normal. While she’d never admit it, Gwen was actually quite excited to meet the remaining members of Eos, if not but only for selfish reasons. Meeting new people, especially people whom considered her an ally, made for new patrons to her business, and new patrons meant more income. It was a selfish motive, but Gwen really did try and convince herself that she had joined Eos for entirely noble and good reasons—which, she had, to some degree. But why couldn’t joining Eos also benefit her a little, too? It was a win-win for everyone involved, she liked to think.


Brushing a tangle of dried leaves away from the heavy, cast-iron Mausoleum door, Gwen depressed the handle and cranked it open after giving a quick glance-around the cemetery to guarantee its vacantness. The hinges groaned under the stress, but with a firm tug, the door popped open just enough for the petite, young blonde to slide inside before closing it behind herself. With a bit more gusto than when it opened, the door slammed shut and enclosed her in darkness. The smell inside the Mausoleum was damp and musky, like old forest after a hard rain—not altogether unpleasant, but unusual. Not spending any time pondering her surroundings, Gwen pressed forward, using only her intuition to guide her through the dark passage that linked Eos’ war room to the outside world.


A single light smudged in the front of her vision as she pressed towards it, stepping through the doorway and into the firelight. Her eyes were first met with the site of Sofia, followed shortly thereafter by Dmitri, as well, though aside from the two of them and a few bugs, there was not a single additional soul to be found in the brick and mortar den.


“Uh, hi,” Gwen began in an cumbersome tone, her fingers darting down the hilt of the blade tied to her belt as she jingled it with uncertainty. It wasn’t so much out of nerves as it was out of vacillation. A relatively new recruit to the Eos movement, she was unclear on what conduct was considered acceptable and, in turn, unacceptable. So, she suited herself with a pleasant half-smile and a boxy greeting, acknowledging both Sophia and Dmitri with a curt tilt of her head.


“I’m not usually early,” she admitted, shifting her weight on to her left foot, “I’m usually the one making the grand, fashionably late entrance, so, uh… this is an uncomfortable turn of events for me.”


It was only after a few moments of letting her eyes adjust to the dim light, did Gwen make out a third figure in the room. He was blonde and young, cloaked in the ever-moving shadows of a flickering flame, which had made him difficult to see on first glance. She estimated him to be at or near to her in age. While she had never met him before, he seemed to have a certain place and comfort here, so she made the assumption that he was not new. While he offered her a pale smile, he seemed uninterested in exchanging any words, so she mirrored his smile and fell into a comfortable silence.

 

[Ire]

There was a whisper from Sophia, but the dark-cloaked character in the far corner of the mausoleum’s dusty and dreary domain didn’t pay it any heed. It was just his boss’s way of reassuring herself that the new bloods would soon arrive. Where Sophia occupied herself in order to be patient, such as scuffling through parchments and papers on the wooden desk that she had most likely already viewed and made opinions of, Dmitri was the more contemplative individual. He paced to and fro, firing a glance or two at Sophia every once in a while. Neither truly noticed him, but they didn’t need to. Warrek had known his place for nine years, and it wasn’t a position he despised.


Warrek sat in a chair, his body leaning against the stone walls of the mausoleum’s far right corner. He had brought a book with him, and he read it silently, though his ears were perked in case any information flowed through the room. The book was titled The Effects of Balance in Combat, and while he had read many texts like it, Warrek always seemed to find the time to garner as much knowledge as he could about his fighting techniques. The book, in general, was relatively difficult to acquire. Ebondusk was a place where the impoverished thrived and criminals ran amuck. It was not a place of intellectual renaissance. Because of this, Warrek had been forced to reach out to external contacts in order to get ahold of the plethora of books he’s always seen reading.


His eyes, seeming gray in the dim lighting of the mausoleum, scanned the lines of text on the page, his legs crossed and the book resting on his kneecaps. His left hand held the book in place while his right stood ready to turn the page when needed. He was armed with his trio of weapons, and his dirty blonde locks were hardly visible behind the brown hooded cloak he wore. He was adorned with a brown collared tunic, leather breeches, boots, and fingerless gloves.


As he read, a faint echo was heard. The groaning of a door, and the slamming noise it created when it closed. Light footsteps that gradually grew more clamorous followed, dominating his hearing. Lightly placing his finger on the page to keep his position, his eyes scanned upward, taking in the visage of a woman with golden locks and a fair face, and the stares that were imposed upon her by Sophia and Dmitri. Her apparel was dyed green, which oddly added to the blue hue of her irises that was quite noticeable in the shadowy setting.


Her words were short and awkward, offering the veteran trio her humor. She was by no means innocent though, and her frame seemed stocky for her five feet and five inch spectrum. Warrek offered no actual greeting, but he did nod at her and offer her a slight smile. Dmitri and Sophia were there to greet the new faces—Warrek was there for more serious reasons, and as such, his eyes fell back down to the page of his book.

 

[Carl]

Sophia smiled at the blonde woman who she knew to spend a lot of time in the smithy, forging and molding steel and iron into finely crafted weaponry and tools; Even if there was lacking proof in the way she was dressed and looked like upon entering their hide out. Not a single, dirty smudge marked her face or strawblonde hair. Dmitri did notice by the blisters on her palms that she had been working as dilligently as the time he visited her forge. She had barely looked up, let alone chit-chat with him, Dmitri remembered he was impressed by Gwen and the way she hammered the searing hot iron on her anvil, as if she smashed her enforced destiny and molding it the way she saw fit, with every drop of sweat she shed. As Sophia greeted and walked up to Gwen, reassuring her that there was no need for formalities or timidness in their circles. Dmitri was just opening his mouth to greet her as well, with the intention of making her feel more at ease in this fairly claustrophobic environment. But then, as if the Lord of Failure made Dmitri his freaking herald, his stomach growled majestically and the lion's roar bounced off every wall and coffin in the damn place, leaving Dmitri standing there with his mouth open until he finally managed to utter out that he was hungry, before grinning sheepishly. Sophia just shook her head with a big smile and turned on the spot without a word spilled on Dmitri and his 'antics'.


Dmitri contemplated booting her in the ass for that, but opted against it, since he didn't feel like putting on a skit for the fairly new Gwendolen. Letting it go, he made his way to a barrel in the corner and took a couple pieces of fruit out of it, before handing one to Warrek and one to Gwen. It almost made him laugh out hard when he turned his face, looked at the hopeful Sophia....and ate the last pear in front of her, before walking away towards Warrek before another word spilled on her. Of course with a huge smirk, then he sat down in a seat next to Warrek. That guy, he was probably the most trustworthy and closest ally of Dmitri & Sophia, never having given them any reason not to place their trust in him, in all the years he has been a member of Eos. He was in all senses of the word a good lad, albeit a bit reserved and tepid in personality. Which is why Dmitri loved to play a Personal Space Invader when around him...


"Man, what are you reading this time? ... 100 Ways To Kill A Man With A Duck?!"


Sophia overheard Dmitri's question and did her best to keep her gnarlyface on to spite Dmi and his fruity joke, but he noticed the corners of her mouth and eyes slowly turning upwards, didn't last long before she shot him one last ridiculously stormy look and then invited Gwen to sit with all of them, together. Sophia excused Dmitri for his lameness, in his name, to Gwen and assured her they're not a social bookclub..


"He just gets like that sometimes, anyway, we still have to wait for a few others before we can discuss what I brought you all here for today.."


Dmitri's look on his face turned from happily indignated to a deadserious stare; Even if only for a moment...Didn't take long for him to being 'lame' again.


"You'll have to excuse us for sitting in the, god-damned, darkest corner of the place...Warrek, y'see, he likes to sit in dark corners alot, makes him feel mysterious. I swear, once, I saw him sit on that gargoyle of Watchtower...What's wrong with you man?!"


Dmitri grinned and placed a hand on Warrek's shoulder.


"Don't mind me, truth is...There's no better guy in the world to trust your back to! Saved my behind more than once, I can tell ya that!...When he's not looking at it, of course....Creeper!"


Sophia shook her head again with a smile and turned to Gwen: "Shouldn't be too long before the others get here as well, don't worry, I didn't invite you here to make you suffer.." She said as she nodded sideways to Dmitri.

 

[Mordecai]

Gwen visibly relaxed as the people around her did. Even the gentleman reading his book, with whom she had not been yet acquainted, seemed to give off a certain pleasantness that was both welcoming and comforting. It was the sound of Dmitri’s stomach growling that cracked the first smile on her spry face. Unable to resist, an amused laughter bubbled up through her like carbonation in soda, bringing with it a sense of belonging. It had never been her intention to appreciate the feeling of belonging, for belonging bred obligation, and Gwen wasn’t keenly interested in being obligated to the people of Eos. She liked them well enough, but feeling a sense of moral imperative towards anyone other than herself was a risky business—and Gwen didn’t like to take unnecessary risk. Still, they had showed her nothing but kindness and Gwen couldn’t help but find herself falling into the trap of actually liking these people.


Taking an apple from Dmitri when he offered, she pressed the fruit between her two palms and clasped it tight, offering him a nod of gratitude. While she wasn’t particularly hungry at the moment, it felt a bit rude to decline. If she didn’t find herself hungry at some point during the little pow-wow, it’d make a wonderful evening snack for Hadrian. Rolling the piece of fruit between her hands, she spent the next while just listening, as there was little she could add to the silliness of the conversation. There were valuable pieces of information that she gleaned from the others' conversation, however. For example, she put the name Warrek to the quiet, blonde gentleman with the pleasant smile. Dmitri also felt the need to detail all of Warrek’s impressive laundry list of qualities.


“Uh-huh,” Gwen finally peeped up with a reply. Of course, her mind reeled with a list of retorts, but taking into consideration her newness to the group, decided now would not be a time to crack jokes at the expenses of three long-lasting members of Eos. Gwen bit down on her tongue and put on a charming face, though it seemed a bit too forced to be natural.


It was with some relief to Gwen that Sophia directed her attention towards her, and Gwen gave a nod of understanding and made her way across the small mausoleum towards the cluster of chairs and took a seat. With her legs tucked neatly underneath her, Gwen took a moment to glance towards Sophia, “Alright,” she began slowly. Though she had met both Sophia and Dmitri several months prior, this was her first formal Eos gathering. Any previous meetings, Gwen had cunningly weaseled her way out of, but she was beginning to run low on excuses and with The Dead Eyes breathing down her back with increased animosity, Gwen knew she had to do something before she lost her business to those deadbeat hooligans. The Crimson Edge clan was certainly out of the question, with their close-knit, family like mentality and The Crows just gave her the heeby-jeebies. That left Eos and while she wasn’t yet completely convinced the ragtag self-proclaimed good guys of the city had a chance at succeeding, they were the best bet she had.


Gwen always had to bet on the long-shot, didn’t she?


“Thanks,” Gwen offered in response to Sophia, “Most people have to get married to suffer the type of verbal abuse Dmitri is dishing out, so it’s a good refresher for me. You know, remind me why I’ll never get married.”

 

[Ire]

His eyes still scanning the page, he finished it quickly and turned the page, just in time for Dmitri to make his way over to him. Warrek had been the subject of many of Dmitri’s jokes over the years, and while they weren’t humorous at first, they did grow on you as time passed. As Dmitri scoffed at his book, Warrek grinned and pulled back his hood, revealing his full head of hair. The long strands fell down to his shoulders.


Looking back down at the pages of his book, he would not give Dmitri the comedic satisfaction of having him drawn away from his novel. “I am trying to read a very interesting text. And speaking of books, Dmitri, you should try to read more. Your vocabulary is lacking,” Warrek said, his eyes following the words of the page. “And I don’t see what’s wrong with the darkness. People don’t notice me, but I notice them.”


In all actuality, Warrek loved the dark. He could creep through the shadows and lay down enemies before they ever knew he was there. And as he thought this, he wasn’t at all surprised by the hand placed upon his shoulder by Dmitri. He took his compliment with a slight smirk, but it faded quickly. Yes, he had saved Dmitri time-and-time again, but he was nowhere near the brilliant mind that Dmitri was with manipulation and hypnotism. Dmitri could get what he desired through a conversation, while Warrek had to use battle to entice those acting against him to offer him information.


At the woman’s ‘uh huh,’ Warrek’s eyes were drawn away from his book. They traveled upward, to meet with the blue orbs of the blonde-haired woman. He quickly analyzed her features, which was a great talent of his. The stretch of her face was too forced, and Warrek knew that she was holding back. What she was holding back was beyond his knowledge though. The humor she garnered that she had hinted at earlier? Or perhaps more invective comments? He hoped it was the former.


But as she retreated slightly and took a seat, she dished out a comment that made Warrek grin. “I hope not to be married to Dmitri anytime soon,” Warrek murmured, continuing to read his book, his smile slowly dissolving amidst his high-set cheekbones.

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_04/57a8c2014cee1_Sheris_40.jpg.944dc934e5836a1995d3e442c49e85a3.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="47405" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_04/57a8c2014cee1_Sheris_40.jpg.944dc934e5836a1995d3e442c49e85a3.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Sheris stormed through the upper mausoleum with seemingly singular purpose in her stride. Whatever had called her away from her quarry had better be damned important. She had put a lot of time and effort into getting close to her mark, only to be summoned "with high importance" back to the secluded dominion of Eos. Now, it would probably take weeks of painstaking work to return to where she had started.


The corridors of those long dead whispered incoherently at her progress. At first, the odd ghost-wrapped halls had unnerved her, but over time Sheris learned how to ignore their pleading and their incessant diatribes meant to foment unease to keep all but the most stalwart from descending their depths. Musty odors cloyed the stale, unmoving air and competed with the multitude of cobwebs of the only living residents for domination in the chiseled stone thoroughfares of the dead.


The passageway was mostly cleared; someone had passed through recently. This didn't surprise the lithe assassin as Sheris had expected others to have arrived at the meeting before her. What did concern her was the urgency of the request, such that Sheris felt that she had no choice but to abandon her target and return to these catacombs. At long last, she entered the meeting chamber, already occupied by several others of their clandestine organization.


Sheris stood to one side, cocked her hip, crossed her arms across her chest and glared around the room at those present. "This wasn't how I had envisioned spending my night," she said rather ubruptly. Sheris' voice was gruff and deeper than would have been expected from her more diminutive stature.