Fantasy Into the East (IC)

[Bacon is fluffy]

The Fall
​

The sound of rattling filled the air, accompanied by heaving fraught with despair. The grunts of a man throwing his all at the struggle reverberated through the church's main chamber. His roar shook the pane glass windows. His sundering caused the earth to shake with him. Those with an ounce of sanity quieted their pleas for help. There was a moment of clarity in the wretched afflicted and their families. Those who could muster the strength joined hands. Those who could not struggled to clasp their hands together for prayer. Looking back on it, it was safe to say even those who could not even manage an utterance fought silently for their father.

The dagger met the boy's flesh, slicing into boy's heart despite the its owner's protests. Tears streamed down his cheeks as his arm...no his upper body flew backwards, sending him falling down the steps leading up to the altar. The father was stunned, wracking his quaking frame toward his boy. Still even in this moment of despair, he held onto his staff. Was it a sense of duty or the force of habit which kept his fist firm around the stock of the mage's weapon? Whichever the case may be it cracked the marble floor as he catapulted himself up the steps, just before his boy. His hand met blood, but he held back the screams this time. His stained palms pressed firmly against the fading warmth of his boy whose gaze was that of concern.

" No my boy, No. No. No. No. No". The father turned at the sound of weeping, to find his followers whom he had long since abandoned internally, were standing before him. Their broken bodies and hemorrhaging frames quaked in what appeared to be solemn solidarity. Father Carlos rectified his posture and stood tall and proud before his people, with a regretful expression written upon his countenance. " I failed. My children, you musn't place such concerns for me. Tend to your own", he said with a quivering lip. A woman stepped forth and kneeled upon one knee, with aching arms that slowly ascended up and outward. "Ye stood with'us, now we stand with you...now n' forever".

An explosive roar shot from behind them, a sound all too familiar to those versed in combat. His remaining knights nodded their heads and lined up before the crumbling door frame as it lit up with an array of lines which was too much for a mere human to comprehend, but maddening in its deliberate methodology. It creaked and rattled on crumbling stone walls and creaking hinges. Still his followers did not budge. The door's luminescence began to fade as the father stood in silence,grasping his chest before moving to hand out one last sacrament to his people.

The father did not hesitate to approach them. They shook their heads in unison and for the first time, commanded him to step back with a gesture of their hands. Those who could line up hobbled over toward the center aisle, amidst the fallen. Father Carlos was forced to watch as many that tried did not make it, failing their cause but unwilling to break tradition even under these circumstances. Those who made it meekly chomped upon their sacrament, which was nothing more than a symbolic gesture, though many could not muster the strength to sip the wine. These people did not make it back to their seats, most collapsing upon one another as their muscles contracted. The front door nearly flew off as it held off the mob on the other side of the door.

A voice echoed within his mind, but Father Carlos didn't have the strength to retort the being. Even still, he refused to give into the night. Blood formed at his mouth and dripped onto his chest as the doors miraculously held once more. "Father! Father Carlos Please stop fighting and go! You must live on"!

However, his cries would fall on deaf ears as doors flung open, to reveal an angry mob of his own followers who surged forth like a destructive storm surge. His knights locked in combat and pinned to the ground, called out in vain as the Father solemnly stood before his people. A lone knight stepped forth, whose every step made the church itself quake with fear. " What say you, oh betrayer of the light"? A voice erupted behind him and a boom to match its fury which sent dozens of people flying back. " Don't you dare sully the goo--d na--me"...

" Good? What GOOD BE THERE LION'S BANE? OUR PEOPLE LIE BEFORE HIM AS HE SMIRKS”! He took a deep breath and drew his blade, symbolically pointing toward the father. “ What say you”?

---
​

The sun does not shine on the peninsula of St. Coraline. Rumors of the an unseen death fly through taverns and cavern gossip. The ocean roars with a vengeance, sinking ships approaching Port Landcaster, the biggest port on the western seaboard. Tales of the unknown creatures that lurk beneath those waves spread like wildfire. They are enough to drive even the most hardened sailor to madness. Word has not gone out from the peninsula in days. The People of the steppes say the land is a gateway to hell. Those of the north believe it's the pious peoples of the peninsula angered the gods. And those to the south are rallying an army to investigate the cause of the disappearances of their people: ambassadors and merchants alike.

Unlike their brothers to north, they are the most secularized of the three kingdoms.The size of their army has unseen for generations, ever since the last civil war. It is being rallied to the south, the military offering all races equal pay to bolster their ranks. The people of the steppes have already blocked off all major roads and are beginning construction of more outward military installations in response. They are trained to kill first, ask questions later. Those in the north keep to themselves, those to the north, shut their borders down. Those in the north, keep it.

Map

 

[Gizmo]

Unnamed Chest is jumping around the streets of Lorne asking anyone that doesn't run away or try to exorcise him. "Have you seen a man about average size for a human? I remember he has a large hat and could use magic to animate things." of course being constantly fruitless in his questioning. After awhile he decides to take a break and goes into an alley near a tavern then life swaps into a container in a tavern making sure his mouth is closed of course

 

[FireMaiden]

Astoria Holloway
Port Lancaster
Interaction: Open
Mentioned: N/A​

There was a loud thunk as a small cargo boat from further down the coast hit the only open dock. Some of the hands on board worked to secure it, while others went and started preparing the cargo to be moved onshore. One however, had to wake their passenger. He's an older man, stocky, with a beard that would put most to shame. It was easy to tell that he was the veteran man on board, which means he wasn't happy finding two of his younger men trying to lift a large hammer, it's owner sitting to the side, laughing.

"Alright, alright, that's enough of that," He said with a huff, "We don't need to be keeping the lass any longer. And you two need to get to work." His orders were met with sighs, and brief protest, before the young men in question left. The woman stood, shoving off a thin blanket as she grabbed her hammer. She lifted it easily, pulling it up to rest on her shoulder as she followed the Captian out of the little cabin.

As they exited, Astoria raised her free hand, waiting a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sunlight, dropping her hand after a moment or two. "Welcome to Port Lancaster lass. I hope you find what your looking for." The captain starred to walk off, to join his men, before he turned back to Astoria, his hand out. "Payment. It'll cover my drinks later."

He and Astoria shared a chuckle, as she took a small pouch off her belt. "Here," she said, shaking a few coins out into his palm. "I kinda need the rest of 'em." He nodded, nodding his slightly as if he were tipping a hat, before he went to join his men in unloading. If she remembered correctly, they were shipping some produce, and some cloth, as well as a few other bugs that didn't sound completely legal, but it wasnt her place to bring it up. She would instead, while making sure not to accidently hit anyone, climb off the boat.

Astoria wasn't really use to hustle and bustle of a port like this, small towns, villages, and hunting cabins were more her style, but this did have it's charm. She however, didn't like the fact she stuck out like a sore thumb. As she walked through, looking for a food stall or pub so she could grab some breakfadt, and maybe some information, she could feel the eyes on her. The sideways glances and just blatant staring. She came to the conclusion that mercenaries and those who looked like they would cause trouble wasn't welcome here, despite her size.

Eventually, she found a little place to buy some food, picking up some weird fish bun she had never had before, choosing to sit off to the side on an old crate. While she ate, a few fishermen approached her, asking her to move do they could play cards. She obliged, but stuck around to see if they knew anything about St.Caroline.

"So, I'm looking for our out near Caroline, you guys know of anything they might need?" She asked, cocking her eyebrow as they all exchanged weird looks. "What's wrong?"

"You won't be finding any work up that way. Not the kind your hoping for at least," One of them said, "Something's going on with St.Caroline, you should just...you should avoid it. Look somewhere else." She tried getting more out of them, but mine of them wanted to say anymore, so she decided not to push. After finishing her breakfast, she said goodbye, and began walking around a bit more, wondering if anyone would have more information.

 

[Evil_Mercy]

Timis Dynass
Port Landcaster
Interaction: FireMaiden ​

Timis stood in the grassy plains located between Manchester and Port Landcaster, the fields were filled with a small forest of nothing but grass Timis slowly crept forward in the grass and the wind rolled over it when suddenly a pair of antlers arose followed by the deer standing up looking directly at Timis. There was a pause as the deer watched Timis before bolting in the opposite direction and quickly Timis was in pursuit of gaining on the deer with great ferocity eventually she was right behind the deer as it was zipping and zagging trying to avoid her, Timis's front claws reached out grabbing the deer's body as her sword cleaved downwards beheading the deer. Timis hoisted the deer carcass onto her back and snapped the antlers off of the head before throwing into the tall grass, slowly she walked back to a small clearing in the grass where there where two more deer carcasses she dropped the third carcass with the others and tied them all together before hoisting them back onto her back. They were heavy but Timis looked at it as a challenge she then started walking towards Port Landcaster as the deer would fetch a fair price there since it was a port most people would fish for food and rarely hunt which is what Timis was counting on.

As she grew closer to Port Landcaster she would notice people would keep staring at her which she was used to by now a couple of whispers behind her back and a couple of people staring at her was nothing big. Timis walked into a butcher store that normally did fish but she had asked earlier if she could sell deer and they agreed so she put the three deer carcasses on the counter then proceeded to walk outputting the money in her coin pouch.

Timis walked around as people kept on with their whispering and staring when she overheard some fishermen talking to a girl about St. Caroline this was the second time that Timis had heard about work in St. Caroline as there was a group of people asking for volunteers to scout the area but Timis turned them down because she doesn't work for free, after they shewed her away Timis walked out towards them.

"What's going on with St. Caroline?" she questioned in a curious tone while putting her hand on her sword not knowing who these men where she kept her guard up.

"Nothing a freak like you need to know about go back to whatever hole you crawled out of" one of the sailors chuckled back to her while stabbing a knife into the table. Timis was about to do something when one of the other men stood between them.

"Forgive me friend here, had a wee to much to drink ey? Lotta weird things going on in St. Caroline someone sai-" before he could finish speaking he was cut off by the others almost as if they would be cursed if they spoke more of it. Timis showed her claws digging them into the cobblestone pavement as she left she wondered if the girl knew anything about St. Caroline, Timis didn't see the girl which caused her to huff and start walking around.

After a while of walking around town, Timis eventually saw a girl in front of her that was a little bit shorter than her but the girl was holding a huge hammer Timis kind of galloped up next to the girl matching her pace.

"Do you fight with that hammer?" Timmis asked wanting to try and swing it herself, when she was younger Timis was the runt of the litter and was to weak to train in the typical fighting standard of her tribe as such the only weapon she could effectively use was a sword while everyone else would use two swords, and then the hammer was meant for the alpha of the generation only the biggest and fiercest of her generation would be allowed to use the war hammed so in Timis's mind this hammer showed the girl had great strength and power.

​

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Averna Wilwater
Forest West of St. Coraline​

The first rays of the morning sun filtered through the forest canopy and decorated the ground with patches of warm light. Birds began to sing, insects started to buzz, and a curious brown rabbit tentatively poked its head out of its burrow. The fuzzy creature's nose twitched as it sniffed the surrounding air while its long ears angled this way and that. Sensing no predators in the immediate area, the rabbit hopped out of its burrow and made its way to a nearby bed of yellow wildflowers illuminated by sunlight. It immediately began to nibble on the plants upon reaching them, eating them petals first before working its way down the stem.

The rabbit was halfway finished with its fourth flower when it paused mid chew. Its ears shot upwards and its head turned to look at a section of the forest. In its view were the same trees and shrubs that had always been there. Its sensitive nose discovered nothing unusual and it heard nothing that should have alerted it. The birds and insects continued their chorus, undisturbed by the nothingness that transpired. The rabbit slowly began to chew once more, however, it kept its attention focused on the area in front of it.

The rabbit had begun to munch on its sixth flower when it abruptly froze. This time it had heard a noise, a creak to be exact. It was a noise so faint and fleeting that it could barely be described as audible. The fur on the rabbits back was raised as its body tensed up, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. The seconds that ticked by felt like an eternity as it waited.

Without warning an arrow appeared, whistling as it flew through the air and towards the rabbits head. The creature darted to the left, barely having enough time to dodge the arrow that shaved a section of fur off its back. The arrow continued to sail until it landed in the base of a tree trunk with a quiet thwick. The rabbit wasted no time in scurrying back to the burrow it came from. An unseen voice cursed once the dust had settled.

The air from where the arrow originated was still in one moment and shimmering in the next. Soon enough a cloaked woman materialized in the spot with a bow in her grip. Her expression was a mixture between a pout and a scowl as she stormed over to retrieve the arrow she fired. She inspected the arrow with a thoughtful look before blowing some of the rabbits fur off the tip and returning it her near-empty quiver. Her gaze then shifted to the rabbit's hole. Averna was hungry, but not starving, and she contemplated whether it was worthwhile to simply reach in and pull the rabbit out. After a moment of thought she decided to move on.

The young dark elf had no destination in mind. Instead she simply moved where her feet guided her. In today's case, they guided her to a dirt trail that cut through the forest, one that's been well traveled in recent times according to the amount of footprints on it. She retrieved a silver coin from her pocket and flipped it. Heads I go West. Tails I go east. It landed tails. Into the east it is.

Averna traveled on the edge of the trail with her gaze focused on the path ahead. If there was anything she learned in the pass couple of weeks, it was that the locals did not take to her kind, well, kindly. She had long grown use to such attitudes, and she didn't expect whatever towns lay ahead to act any different than expected. Perhaps if she kept her cloak's hood high and eyes low she might be able to rest at an inn. Only the gods knew how long since she last slept on an actual bed.

 

[FireMaiden]

Astoria Holloway
Port Lancaster
Interaction: Evil_Mercy
Mentioned: N/A​

At first, the sound of hurried footfalls coming up from behind her has Astoria on edge. Before she remembered that this was in fact a busy port with lots of people. She would ignore them at first, looking at the few stalls she passed, avoiding people who may accidently het hurt. The little humans kept bumping into her wings, and whole annoying, she knew they couldn't see them. Her attention only turned to the one making the hurried footsteps when they addressed her.

Turning to look at who had just spoke, Astoria actually stopped dead in her tracks. It took all her might to keep from blurting out "What the ever living fuck are you?" Though it did not help woth the slightly shocked stare and a confused light behind her eyes. After a moment however, she blinked, cleared her throat, and gave the weird centar a smile. "Well obviously. What the hell else would I do with it?" She said with a chuckle, "It's to big to go 'ammering nails, and making sculptures. I just crack people's skulls with it." She was beaming with pride, as she was very proud of her hammer. The design was actully her own, one she made as a child that her father got ahold of. True he made it a little better, even made some glowing paint outta some glowing bugs and a wee bit of magic. Pretty neat when you think about it.

She would fall silent for a moment, glancing around to make sure nobody was coming after this girl. She hasn't noticed many non-humans around, and the ones that were, well, they were slaves. Most of them elves doing waiting, cleaning, and keeping with with their masters, and there were some teifling bodyguards around, but she could tell they weren't all treated the best. She could pass for one, but this girl defeinatly couldn't. Anyway, keeping a warm smile on her face, Astoria cocked an eyebrow, "You wanna try lifting it?"

 

[Evil_Mercy]

Timis Dynassa
Port Landcaster
Interaction: FireMaiden ​

Timis ignored when the girl in front of her was caught off guard by her appearance after giving the girl a second she spoke up saying that it was obviously a weapon and she asked if Timis would like to try lifting it. Timis was tempted to but the training she went through in her youth cemented that hammers where for the strongest only one thing that made Timis weary though was how the girl worded the question the girl asked if Timis would like to try lifting it which would imply the weapon may be either extremely heavy or enchanted.

"Im fine, this seems like something human males would do to try and impress a mate," Timis said combing her fingers through her hair and moving her other hand to her sword.

"Im Timis, Timis Dynassa thank you for not trying to ride me like a horse" Timis chuckled in a weird self-introduction, most people that were friendly towards Timis would have attempted to ride her like a horse or try to enslave her into being one but Timis didn't get that feeling from the girl in front of her.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Duke Aurum Soleil and company
Forest West of Caroline
Oreo Cookie

They docked at Port Gabriel and disembarked fairly quickly with their only items having been small satchels of rations and the Duke’s horse. Their ship dropped anchor and the large steed had been startled by the rattling of the chain, but it’s rider quickly settled it down. From the boat they set off, the Duke atop his white mount, both clad in decorative gold, while the ten soldiers marched alongside them. Five on his left and five on his right, their steps like thunder as they walked in unison with the stallion. At the front of both lines of spearmen were banners, held high to display the regal symbol of Mandir and House Soleil. The image of a golden owl glistened in the sun’s brilliance just as Aurum‘s attire did. His long robe of crimson red stood out against the white of his horse and his soldiers’ armors.

Although their destination was not far and a quick trek to the east would get them their soon, Aurum guided his people into the woods west of the town. The dangers within the city were a mystery to them and the forest would offer the elves a bit more cover as they marched towards St. Caroline. In the. Forest they walked with caution, slow steps, raised shields, and spears at the ready as their eyes watched the trees. There was a rather dull expression on Aurum’s countenance, his only focus was the path ahead and nothing else. It was a fault of his to sometimes underestimate the possibility of an attack whenever he was out. Time had made him overconfident in such situations. But the distant sound of an archery stirred him from his waking slumber. Quickly his men closed in around him and his head snapped to and fro in search of an enemy. The horse remained still, it’s large gloves pressed down on thick roots which nearly gave way beneath the creatures weight.

“Comb the forest, be careful.” He instructed after several minutes of being stationery and seeing no threats. The town had caused nearby settlements to take extreme measures, if one of the culprits was in the forest then he wanted to know. “Forward.” Aurum spurred his horse and its hooves crushed the forest beneath their weight as the stallion galloped forward while the soldiers fanned out in every direction. “Regroup on thee eastern edge of the forest!”​

 

[FireMaiden]

Astoria Holloway
Port Lancaster
Interaction: Evil_Mercy
Mentioned: N/A​

"Well," She chuckled, "You aren't wrong. If I leave it alone for just a moment in tavren, I get men clambering over it claiming it's that so they can impress the ladies serving ale. I come back for it, they try and impress me too," She paused letting out a little sigh, before she smiled again, "It's always funny to their faces when I lift the thing they only claim they can. Apperantly, it's heavy," She spun the handle while it was still resting on her shoulder, "I don't get it." And really, Astoria didn't. Her father told her itvwas about 80 pounds, though maybe he was lying to her. Who knows.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you Timis, I'm Astoria Holloway." However, she had to pause, and then laugh a little, "Honestly, it's a tempting idea, but I won't go climbing ya anytime soon. Unless, I don't know, we need a quick get away or something. I promise I don't weigh that much." As they walked, she fell silent again, thinking of what to say next. But nothing was really coming to mind as all her thoughts were in St.Caroline. actully, that's a perfect question. "What are you doing up this way? It's not exactly a uh...friendly port. For you at least."

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Averna Wilwater
Forest West of St. Coraline
LadyOfStars​

It was when the trees started to become more sparse that Averna assumed she was nearing the edge of the forest. The sun was now almost overhead, and she resisted the urge to yawn as she lazily swatted a swarm of insects away. Her noon was the equivalent of most people's midnight. Fortunately the silhouette of the distant town was in sight, and she thanked the gods that she wouldn't have to pull another all dayer. The urge to yawn returned, and the dark elf would have relented this time if not for a sound akin to rolling thunder. Suddenly, she found herself very alert.

The sounds of rumbling drowned out the noise from the rest of the forest, and cold realization swept over Averna once it became apparent it was headed towards her. From the direction it came, she could barely hear a powerful voice issuing commands. Soldiers. It was just her luck. She took a deep breath to steel her nerves. There was no guarantee they were coming for her. Perhaps they were simply passing through in haste. It was a fool's hope, but hope nonetheless. Whatever the case, she didn't want to be standing around when they arrived.

Her gaze swept from one side of the trail to the other as she quickly surveyed the immediate area. She felt a brief twinge of panic. The shrubs and bushes here were too small to hide in or behind. There was always her invisibility magic, but she wasn't confident in how long she could hold the spell in her exhausted state, especially after using it so recently. Her gaze drifted upwards to the many branches overhead. The beginnings of a smile formed on her face, and she cursed her tired brain for not thinking of this sooner.

Like a squirrel being chased by a hound, Averna scampered up the tree with practiced motions. However, she was in rush and did not have the time to be her usual discreet self. Small twigs snapped underfoot while leaves that were shaken loose spiraled to the ground below. She stopped her ascent when the next branch she leapt to groaned under her weight. Looking down, she found herself a good thirty something feet in the air. A triumphant grin spread across her face. Now it did not matter if she could be seen. She'd like to see some measly human just try to climb up here.

Averna's stomach dropped when the first soldiers came into view; her smile gone just as soon as it arrived. With their pointed ears and the speed at which they ran, there was no doubt about it; they were high elves. She didn't account for elven soldiers whose speed and agility made her chances of a clean getaway slim. Before she could get a chance to wonder what they were doing here, her eyes were immediately transfixed on a flash of gold and crimson. Another high elf appeared, this one riding on a majestic white horse and draped in garbs more expensive than her weight in gold. She surmised he was the leader of the bunch. The grip on her bow tightened as she instinctively reached with her free hand to retrieve one of the half-a-dozen arrows from her quiver. She found herself hesitating upon grazing the arrow's shaft with her fingertips. There were more soldiers here than she had arrows. Elven soldiers armed with spears and probably magic. More importantly, is that really how she wanted to start off relations? As an enemy? She let her arrows be while her grip on the bow loosened. Not confident enough to come down from her perch, Averna gazed down upon the approaching elves.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Duke Aurum Soleil and Company
Forest West of Caroline
Oreo Cookie

The soldiers crawled over the forest in search of possible enemies, like a flood through the streets of a town. Their eyes gazed into the darkest corner to ensure they left no stone unturned. At the same time they moved as carefully as possible to avoid giving away their location. The animals of the forest watched them with curious stares as the elves crept around beams of sunlight to remain in the shadows. One soldier who remained on the path took note of a few damaged branches and some falling leaves from a tree above. Having caught them during their descent meant that the culprit had only just escaped up the tree. Without hesitation the soldier raised. His shield over his head and tucked his spear arm close to his body.

Arriving to the scene just seconds later, Aurum’s eyes swept over the area then went upward to t the canopy. There was a possibility their current target was some harmless woodland creature, but dropping his guard for such a possibility was out of character for him. “This will be your only chance to step into the light! I’ll burn this forest down should you choose to remain hidden!” A forest like this could be used by the enemies within St, Caroline, so burning it down didn’t bother Aurum in the slightest. To show he meant what he said, the High Elf ignited a ball of fire within his right hand.

Seeing the sudden flame in the distance and the gold that glistened in its light, the remaining soldiers knew that their Lord had crossed paths with an enemy. A sharp whistle resounded off of the trees and signaled the soldiers’ intention to converge on their leader's location. Now they with noisy as they rushed through the woods to surround the area.


​

 

[Bacon is fluffy]

​

A soothing breeze washed over the elves, jostling their hair and the flame ebbing and flowing within the hand of the all too willing noble among them. Following its wake was the prompt flight of the woodland birds in the area and the ceasing of skittering and scurrying from the woodland animals. There was no great cry of a wolf or the stampede of a herd of deer. The clouds overhead froze in place, as if held in place by invisible strings. What was left is silence and a ceasing of life itself. A presence not unlike a giant towering over a mere man emanated from all around the small band of foreigners, yet there was nothing to speak of. Lesser being would be overtaken by the instinct to freeze in place, while those of a higher caliber would be faced with a primal sense of dread.

However as soon as the sensation came, it too went the way of the transient winds themselves. The sounds of trees swaying in the wing formed a chorus with the explosion of life soon after. The rays of the sun which ceased to beat upon the elves came back in full force. The world seemingly continued to spin, but the sensation of being watched would not entirely leave even the most magically inclined. "tread carefully young ones", a soft, yet nervous voice which contrasted with the overwhelming presence was carried along the winds.

Oreo Cookie LadyOfStars

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Averna Wilwater
Forest West of Coraline
LadyOfStars​

An elven soldier was the first to arrive at the base of Averna's tree, soon followed by his commander on horseback. Although they found the tree she was in, it seemed they couldn't discern where she was exactly. If she were lucky, they might just give up and move on.

“This will be your only chance to step into the light! I’ll burn this forest down should you choose to remain hidden!”

Her day just got better and better. To prove his point, the elf leader created a fireball in his hand. Averna nervously shifted her weight from one to foot to the other, the branch groaning once again as she did. Maybe it was a bluff. There was no way that a single person, elf or otherwise, could raze an entire forest to cinders. But deep down she could feel the intensity of the magic below her, and knew the man's words were true. As if to dash her hopes even further, the sounds of approaching soldiers came from all directions. She frantically looked about, searching for another escape route but finding none. Not wishing to test the elf's patience any longer, she looped her bow over her shoulder, and started to descend.

"I'm. . ." Averna started to speak but realized her voice carried a hint of fear. She steadied her breathing long enough to regain her calmness. "I'm coming down." She deftly leapt from one branch to the next one below it, repeating this process until her feet finally touched the ground. Once there, she gave passing glances to the elves that surrounded her, but was unwilling to look any of them in the eyes. Her downcast gaze returned to her own two feet before she spoke again. "I mean your party no harm."

No sooner had the words left her mouth when it happened. It felt like a passing wind. It felt like a foreboding presence. It felt like something sinister that words could not describe. Whatever it was, the effects on her were immediate. She found herself frozen with apprehension. Her heart began to beat so fast she feared it would burst through her chest. Her first thought was that it was the work of the boss elf using some foul magic she had no knowledge of. A quick look over revealed that he, alongside the rest of the elves present, felt the same terrible thing. A terrible thing that was beyond them all. And then it was gone, and Averna found herself stumbling backwards in a cold sweat, gasping for air. Even in her bewildered state, she could hear a faint, faraway voice speak, although it too faded away. An uncomfortable, hair-raising feeling lingered, but she would ignore it for now.

"What. . . just happened?" She asked once some of her composure returned. Her question went to no one in particular.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Duke Aurum Soleil and Company
Einhorn Forest
Oreo Cookie

The voice that preceded the figure’s big reveal was very telling and allowed Aurum to relax a bit more in his saddle. When their target landed and declared herself peaceful, the soldiers all aimed their spears at her as if she had said the exact opposite. “Hm. Vermin, I should have known.” Aurum gazed upon the Dark Elf with disdain and disgust in his eyes. The blazing ball of fire in his hand vanished as he raised it up, an open palm. “Men, ki-.”

The sudden darkening of the forest, the stopping off the clouds, and the rising feeling of despair caused Aurum to freeze just like the world around them seemed to do. In a panic his eyes darted around and checked their surroundings, but only found the familiar elven figures and the arboreal beings that had been present. His horse became equally uneasy, neighing and stamping its feet. All that kept the beast from racing off was the elf’s hand upon the reins. There was no way to describe the feeeling of dread that crept down the spines of the elven soldiers, no way to explain the sensation that covered them all. Aurum found himself at a loss for words, especially when an ominous voice spoke to them all.

With the odd phenomenon ending and all returning to normal, Aurum’s attention quickly returned to the woman an before them. “Seize her!” He barked in an instant, commanding his soldiers to close ranks around the Dark Elf. They raised their shields and created a wall around her with their spears aimed inward. “Never trust a Dark Elf. Take her to the town. I will get my answers there.” Aurum looked back to the path ahead and spurred his horse onward.

“Move.” A soldier instructed, his hoarse voice breaking the silence. They stayed in a circular formation around her and took small, calculated steps to move along the path.​

 

[Evil_Mercy]

Timis Dynassa
Port Landcaster
Interaction: FireMaiden ​

"Looking for work mostly, my people are mercenaries by trade. I'm out on... let's call it an adventure, I have been hunting deer east of here for the last week give or take and selling it to a butcher for money." Timis said with a smile pretending not to notice the common folk staring and whispering about her behind her back.

"You said 'up this way' Are you from down south somewhere?" Timis said while turning down a different road that led into an alleyway between two buildings she walked up to one of the buildings and leaned back on her hind legs resting her for legs on the buildings claws unsheathed themselves and dug into the stones clawing out marks her claws started to bleed causing her a little discomfort but she was used to it by now and it as needed to keep them clean and sharp.

 

[FireMaiden]

Astoria Holloway
Port Lancaster
Interaction: Evil_Mercy
Mentioned: N/A​

"What a coincidence! I'm looking for work too! I was hoping to find some out near St.Caroline, still hoping to actully, but..." She glanced around again as she noticed a small spike in stares and whispers when she mentioned the town, before her attention returned to Timis. "Everyone is acting weird when I bring it up. I think something bad may have happened, but I just can't get any details." She sounded a bit dejected, her voice turning to low murmurs as she walked with the other girl, joining her in the alley. "Yes. Well, currently, my father docked further south for now, everyone wanted some time inland to deal with new births and burials, and to host old friends. Work wasn't a bad thing to stop for either, and since we'll be down there for a while, he gave me permission to go exploring a bit."

Astoria couldn't help but notice Timis's paws as she stood there, leaning on her hammer, the top ornate decoration digging into the ground. "Why are you doing that? Doesn't it hurt?" There was some concern in her voice, just like when she was asking why Timis was there at the port. Well, the vauge warning she gave too about it not being a friendly place at least. Again, Astoria wasn't human, but knew she passed as one as easy as many other hybrids and half breeds could. She still felt worried for her new friend, but that's when a wonderful idea struck her. "Why don't we go to St.Caroline together? The hunting should be better, or you may actually find a job that pays mlre, who knows? As far as I know, it's safe for non-humans."

 

[Evil_Mercy]

Timis Dynassa
Port Landcaster
Interaction: FireMaiden ​

"The Pains bearable but I need to keep my claws sharp, also I wouldn't mind traveling with you but when I was traveling here I passed by a fort somewhere out west they where looking for volunteers relating to something with St. Caroline but they weren't paying do you think we should head back out there? Also, I don't do boats so land travel is a must for me, you can ride me back since I travel pretty fast." Timis said kicking off from the wall and lowering herself down to all four legs Timis walked back out of the alley with Astoria behind her Timis started heading towards the town exit.

"Oh are you done with your business in town or are you ready to depart?" Timis asked turning around to look Astoria in the eyes and gave her a smile but as Timis was looking at her there was someone following them Timis could only barely see them just over Astoria's shoulder and a couple yards back. Slowly Timis put her hand on her sword and unsheathed her talons while still unmoving and smiling towards Astoria, however, Timis was ready to quickly leap between Astoria and the stranger if the need arose.

​

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Averna Wilwater
Eihorn Forest
LadyOfStars​

“Seize her!”

"Huh? Wait you-ah!" Averna gasped in surprise as she found herself surrounded by spears and shields. She had grown use to the loathing looks and unpleasant comments once people realized she was a dark elf. In fact it stung less coming from a high elf, as opposed to a human, since they tended to be more stuck up. What she would not grow use to was being accused of a crime she did not commit. It struck a nerve in her. The fear within her slowly subsided, now being replaced with a growing indignant rage. "Oi, you pompous bastard!" Her shouts were directed at the leader. "What just happened wasn't my doing!"

She whirled around to face the elf whom instructed her to move. Her eyes flared with newfound hatred as she regarded him, then looked at the spear he carried. Her hands opened and closed as she tried to come up with a plan, but most ended in a scenario involving a spear impaling her. She spat at the elf soldier's feet and then spoke through clenched teeth. "Fine."

Averna wore a bitter smile as she shuffled her feet forward. If there was anything she learned today, it's that elves were no better than humans. "Hmph. I shoulda attacked y'all when I had the chance." It was a stupid thing to say considering the circumstances, but Averna didn't care, she was fuming.

 

[FireMaiden]

Astoria Holloway
Port Lancaster
Interaction: Evil_Mercy
Mentioned: N/A​

Astoria nodded ever so slightly to show she understood, though she still didn't like the idea of this girl intentionally hurting herself doing what a nail file or sharping stone could do. But, too all their own. Anyway, when she left the alley, Astoria followed after Timis. "I think heading to St.Caroline is a good idea. The people at that fort you came across may just want to raid the town or something like that, so I'd like to make sure that we don't accidently end up killing some innocents, or something like that, ya know?" She almost didn't notice the odd look that Timis had, but she found it hard to ignore the fact the other girl was going for her sword. "What's up?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder, before looking back at the centaur. It was crowded, she could really tell what Timis was on edge about it immdeiatly.

 

[Bacon is fluffy]

A pungent smell assailed her senses, washing over her body like a tsunami which ripped the very foundations of her psyche and cast it aside just as easily. Her hand slapped to her mouth. She strained her mind to fight the involuntary gurgles as her chest ebbed and flowed to heave its contents against her will. Her pupils dilated like a great chasm as she slammed her forehead into a brickwall with all her might. Still she quaked and heaved coarse breaths while blood slipped through her wound. A shrill shriek akin to a pig sounded in the distance, causing her to gasp for breath. She withdrew into a fetal position and clenched her fists until her palms bled. Though she shook, her body was as rigid as a board. She clenched her eyes shut waiting for the inevitable when a snort from a beast stuck its snout into her room and sniffed about. She heard the putrid wretch fervently searching for prey, its inhales much akin to a vacuum which made her slide along the splintery wood floor. Her eyes opened, though she didn't know why. Masochism? Curiosity?

Whatever the case may be she clenched her teeth to fight a shriek as its slobbering blackened craw was inches from her. When a bell rang, causing it to whimper. As it scampered off, thunderous thuds could be heard as all broke apart in its wake. She shook in half amazement, thinking about what could sunder the earth as easily as one cracked an egg. But before she could look outside she shot up in bed, covered in a profuse sweat. Her hand met her forehead as she heaved for air that wouldn't find its mark seemingly. In the stark darkness she felt around her bed, looking for her husband's warmth. Though all that met her palms was but a mere groove and some scattered sheets. She sobbed, long and hard, frozen in place with the impulse to shoot forth and never come back to St. Coraline. Yet she couldn't even will herself to take the first step over the bed, let alone flee the city.

FireMaiden Evil_Mercy Oreo Cookie LadyOfStars

----

A couple of soldiers entered through the backdoor of a local tavern situated in a district sandwiched by a whore house and drug den. The barkeep was a short fellow with a prominent hunch with his vertebrae peeking through the thin cloth that was his vestments. He pointed toward the corner of the dimly lit room and said, " Aye your rat scalleywags, take yer cut and GO". The two grinned and performed the sign of the light, which was nothing more than the index and middle finger held together at the forehead, to represent one's mind being with the sun. To be free of darkness beneath, the inner evil that tempts us all. " Move! Before I ch'nge me mind"! The two soldiers grinned again as the barkeep slammed the door with a force which shook the tavern at its core. " Ahh m'lord, tis nice to see you. What can I get you"?

The soldier on the right was Tahm, to his left was his brother Sahl. They laughed at the switch old man sweeny could pull with his customers. The two of them for weeks now, had been enjoying the laxness of the town guard as of late. Though there were more demi-humans running about, they were able to take more breaks. Smoke more foreign drugs, and enjoy the finer things in life using their position as a means of getting what they wanted. Gleefully they snatched up a crate and a barrel, one of which was the mischievous unnamed chest. Both were promptly placed on an ox driven wagon, headed to Port Landcaster. The trip would take little more than an afternoon. The patrols and checkpoints along the main roads leading to St. Coraline were absurdly lax as well. " Say Sahl, what might be the reason things be so strange"?

Sahl who had been perusing the goods, his grubby hands simultaneously wrist deep in crates of dried beef and sweet bread. " Ye think too much silegier. Do ye wanna jinx it"? Tahm whipped the reins on the oxen to after the civilians passed through, but was somewhat still apprehensive about the situation. " No brother never, but ye ever get the feeling something be...off"? Sahl was shoving his face with beef when he turned with a full mouth to his brother with an indignant tone, " This be aboot the demi-humans"? Tahm shook his head profusely and stammered, " uhh ha ah tis not that but brother you have to admit something be off. Demihumans are one thing, but to let us shirk our duty"? Sahl fell silent as he angrily ripped the beef stock with his grimy yellow teeth. " Just keep yer eyes on the road. I'll do the thinking".

Gizmo

Spoiler: p.s

Just thought I'd add a few more factors for y'all to consider when heading to St. Coraline or any settlement on the Peninsula. And giz, I've placed ye in the wagon.Fire maiden and evil, if you could include giz that'd be awesome. :3

 

[Gizmo]

Name
Road Toward Port Landcaster
Interaction: N/A

​

Unnamed Crate realized that he got himself in quite the pickle being next to 2 heavily equipped people that don't seem to have the most honest principles, but from what he heard about the place that they were headed off to sounded nice and the wind felt great on his wood and the items that were currently inside of him tasted quite good so he decided that he may as well enjoy the ride there. He would just have to hope that the guards don't open him untill they get to their destination and he could life swap out of there and ask some new people if they have seen the animator or not.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Duke Aurum Soleil and Company
St. Caroline
Oreo Cookie

After that unsettling phenomenon Aurum was glad that he had made the choice to venture off to this awful little town. Their prisoner didn’t seem to have the magically capabilities, or the intelligence, to perform such a feat let alone be the sole reason for the chaos that was spreading. But if there were more of her kind or even allies, then the idea wasn’t so bizarre. “At least you’re wise enough to play innocent, but then again most criminals do.” The white-haired elf glanced back over his shoulder at the ring of soldiers. They had traveled a long way and he didn’t plan to let this Dark Elf take any of their lives. “One step out of line or if that strange sensation starts up again, kill her immediately.” Just as the order left his lips a bell sounded in the distance and filled the air. His head quickly snapped to and he looked ahead to the walls of granite. “Perhaps the citizenry still live. How disappointing.” The elf mumbled to himself.

The soldiers followed their leader’s horse to the edge of the forest and out into the open where all that stood between them and the city was the large wall. They now needed to find an entrance into the city. Had he any knowledge of the happenings within the city, Aurum would risk blowing a hole in the wall to make entering simpler. “We will need to use the southern entrance.” The soldiers moved with consideration for not only one another, but for their prisoner as well. So far their leader had not sentenced her and thus they had no intentions of harming her. The party moved in relative silence on their way to the southern entrance.


​

 

[Evil_Mercy]

Timis Dynassa
The Road to St. Caroline
Interaction: FireMaiden
Mentioned: Gizmo ​

Timis slowly leaned towards Astoria slightly while keeping an eye on the stranger that seemed to be following them, Timis was tempted to attack them but she knew how half breeds would get treated she would be killed by the guard and labeled the aggressor. Timis reached out to Astoria's hand and pulled Astoria on to her back before rearing onto her hind legs and turning towards to entrance of the town Timis landed back on all fours and a bolt from a crossbow landed next to the pair. Timis then decided to book it out of town with Astoria since they had the same end goal, for now, the dirt was kicked up towards the town as Timis took off running out of town the person that was following them in town had got on top of a horse and started galloping after the pair.

"Hold on closely, I can outrun the horse lets loose sight and set up an ambush halfway down the road!" Timis said back to Astoria as she started to speed up into her top speed. After half a minute of running the man following them was completely out of sight and Timis ducked into the tree line next to the road and quickly pulled out her sword rearing back again I order to face the road Timis was panting and catching her breath while she waited in the tree line with Astoria. Soon a minute passed and nothing, then five, then ten after a while of waiting Timis let out a sigh.

"We outrun the sorry sack. Hopefully, it was just a townsman that didn't like me." Timis said with a smile while looking over her shoulder at Astoria and slowly walking back onto the road, Timis had to deal with things like that all of the time most people didn't like her because she was different and there had been multiple times when she had been run out of a town. Timis sheathed her sword as she was walking down the road chatting with Astoria when a few guards on an ox cart came into view.

"Ye have yerself a fine steed their miss." One of the guardsmen called out roaring with laughter while the other two guardsmen switched between catcalling and racist remarks directed towards the pair, however, the racist remarks were only directed towards Timis. Timis knew better than to respond and didn't even think about unsheathing her sword and instead just kept looking ahead ignoring them until they were right up against one another on the road the guard smiled and leaned into the pair of girls to talk.

"Think ye horse is broken miss, why don't you come ride mi-" Before the man could finish the sentence Timis grabbed the man's shirt collar and threw him into the road, Timis put her paw on his chest and lightly applied pressure while pulling out her sword and pointing it at the other two guards.

"All of you off of the cart or this one dies, I don't want to kill you but if need be i will " Timis said slowly applying weight onto the man causing him to let out a scream as the two guards got off of the cart Timis instructed one of them to tie up the other two then she tied up the last guard and knocked them all out leaving them unconscious on the side of the road.

"Let's search the cart there may be something valuable in there?" Timis question Astoria wondering how she would think about all this hopefully Astoria would be happy at least that Timis didn't outright kill the men and instead tied them up however if they had anything bad in the cart Timis may change her ruling and kill the three.

 

[Gizmo]

Name
Road to St. Caroline
Interaction: Evil_Mercy FireMaiden
​

From the back of the wagon unnamed crate can see the guards being taken off from the front of the ox cart by the large snow lion centaur and tying them up he jumped out of the ox cart to thank his saviors. "I thought I might have been killed by those rude people! Thank you for saving my tongue! But, anyways have you seen a man, he is human and has a big hat. Also, he can animate objects. He's been gone for a bit."

 

[FireMaiden]

Astoria Holloway
Outside of Port Lancaster
Interaction: Evil_Mercy Gizmo
Mentioned: N/A​

When Timis pulled her up ont her back, Astoria's first thought was "OH god I've been kidnapped!" And then her second was "Oh well, this is my life now." She wasn't about to jump off of some girl running super fast, away from some dickhead shooting at then with a bow. She could have fought him, but Timis bolted too quickly for her to be given the chance. It didn't really matter though. When they were out of range of whoever that was, Astoria could help but laugh out loud. "Wow! That was impressive! I don't think I've moved that fast in a while." Mostly cause of the hammer, it was an inconvenience on how fast she could fly, but it effect her too much.

Anyway, she was enjoying their conversation aviyr you know, various things that didn't exactly mean much, When she heard a cart behind them. Pulled by an Ox and driven by some guards, Astoria expected they would just pass by. But that was too much to hope for. She audioably growled when they starred insulting Timis, as Astoria hated racist. The invitation for sex wasn't welcome either, but Timis took care of it. Nicely. "Yeah, let's search it," She said, walking around to climb up on the back of the cart to start rummaging. And then a crate jumped off past her.

"What the actual..." What the hell was that thing, a talking crate? Astoria didn't say anything, she just kinda stared at whatever it was, blaming to Timis to see what she would do.