Turn 9 has started, please check the MP Spreadsheet for your updated MP counts. Please let me know if any number is off and I'll fix it when I can.
With turn 9 comes our second X-Turn, the Sylia Turn!
Silver does not rust - But tarnish, it does. For the duration of this turn, you’re heavily encouraged to make at least one post (no matter how short) exploring any of Sylia’s creations, lands, and/or themes.
The way you interact with your chosen creation/theme/land is up to you. You could write a simple short exchange between adventurers of different cultures, you could simply describe a new store that’s popped up in a Sylia-aligned settlement, etc. You have full creative licensing here, so please go forth and write some cool things for our crafter goddess!
Shahari yawned, her arms stretched forward and tail stiffened until she felt that familiar release deep within her muscles. All the fatigue she’d built up over the day washed away in an instant and as she returned to her curled up position on this strange sandstone-tiled roof, she observed the colours of the sky begin to change.
The vibrant blue of daylight gave way to a spectacle of colours, no doubt painted by the Gods themselves. A deep red gave way to oranges and purples as the Itzala set. As the accursed eye moved its gaze to other parts of the world, a comforting chill and sense of peace came upon Thysia, one that blessed them every night, and one that Shah wasn’t particularly fond of.
The Thysians were a boisterous people during the day, but they retreated back to their homes and all but disappeared at night. Even the nocturnal beasts were hard to spot as soon as the Itzala went away, and so usually Shah was all alone at night, stalking the empty streets and alleys and jumping from roof to roof in an attempt to find anything to do.
Oh, to be one of the Pantheras back home!
Shah sighed, a smile finding its way onto her face.
’Us Pantheras hunt and hunt until we catch life by the throat, love!’ would preach Shah’s father right about now, ’No time to mope, so get up and get to where Shah knows she must go!’
“Duh!” She responded to her own memory and giggled. A groan came from the people sleeping in the room below her.
There was an issue, of course, she’d been prohibited from going where she needed to go.
And so she had resigned herself to jumping around at night. That had been nearly a month ago.
A flurry and not-so-quiet flurry of movement later and Shah had slid off the roof and landed amongst the rubbish strewn all over the alleyway below. From there, she simply followed her nose and ears. She found her way out of the labyrinthine network of alleyways and onto a main avenue - the kind the Suneater’s warbands would use to parade into town after a successful campaign - only now it was completely empty.
Completely empty, that is, with the exception of a lone stall. A stove full of stew bubbled quietly, the spotless countertop lit up by a pair of unassuming, unscented white candles. It was a nice kind of candlelight - not too bright and not too dim, perfect for Shah’s enhanced vision.
She approached the unmanned stall, sat down on one of the stools, and rang the bell.
The pot continued to bubble. A meaty scent wafted up from below the cast iron lid. She rang the bell again.
Then a third time. And when she was about to ring it a fourth time, an onion crashed and exploded on the ground next to the stall. Shah hissed and in her periphery saw what looked like a window closing. Nosy losers, the Panthera thought.
“No one here…” She muttered and stared at the pot of stew.
A moment later, she had opened the lid and stuck her clawed finger into the stew. She licked it clean, hummed as the savoury, smooth flavour coated her mouth, and went back for more.
At some point, Shah had actually figured out how to turn off the stove and had cooled the stew down enough so that she could scoop up entire handfuls.
She hadn’t eaten the entire time she’d been awake, after all! Two hours without food was probably long enough to kill her, so she hyper-focused on the stew in front of her and nothing else.
And out of nowhere, a large hand grabbed her by the collar of her dress and lifted her up into the air. She choked and coughed out a mouthful of stew and threw the stew in her hands all over the stall.
“OI! Caught ya, ya shitty cat!” Shouted a deep, gruff voice into her ear. She hissed back.
“Shah’s not done anything! Shah’s innocent, she only ate free food!” She explained even as she swung her claws all over, failing to scratch anything other than air.
“Free food?! Ya dirty li’l… It’s a SELF-SERVE! Three coins per plate! Readin’ too difficult for ya, ya thief? No one tell ya how night time stalls work?! Bah!” The stall owner spat at Shah and threw onto the counter, spilling the still-hot stew all over it and Shah.
“Shah’s food!” She cried and tried to scoop the spilled stew back into the pot with her hands.
“Your food?! ‘Cause of ya, I haven’t been able ta save a single coin for tha last three months! Always stealin’ food from me stall, always gettin’ away with it! I got a family ta feed!” The merchant slapped the pot out of Shah’s hands and pushed the Panthera off the counter and onto the gravel road. She gasped at the sharp sensation along the palms on her hands and knees as she landed.
“And now – ‘Cause of ya, this is another night I ain’t workin’! Oh, I ought’a…” The stall owner, whom Shah could now tell was a particularly massive Snouter, fell silent for a split moment, then opened a drawer and pulled out a cleaver. “... Ya catfolk have only made this city worse. I’ll show ya how Thysia treats unwelcome guests.”
“N-No, please! Shah thought - She thought the food was free! Please!” Shah sobbed, her heart nearly exploding and her legs having turned to jelly. She did her best to crawl away from the Snouter, but soon a brand new set of footsteps entered her earshot. Metallic and heavy, these footsteps rushed to her side, and she could tell the Snouter had stopped approaching.
With tears in her eyes, Shah turned to the armoured guard kneeling next to her, her eyes widened with hope, only for the guard to suddenly force her arms behind her back and tie her wrists tightly with rope.
Her hope was crushed in a second and as she was slung over the elephant-like guard’s wide shoulder and carried away, she could only stare back at the smug look on the Snouter’s face. Suddenly, she became aware of all the people leaning out of their windows and staring at the scene she had been a part of, and immediately she hung her head in shame. It was only made worse when the Guard grumbled.
“Might need to throw this uniform away now… Cat piss smell ain’t gonna come off.”
Shah whimpered.
“Joking, lass. I’ll give you a pair of new trousers when we get to the garrison.”
II
Shah was dressed in a plain grey set of trousers and shirt, no shoes, squeaky clean and lying curled up on the prison bed, staring at her bandaged hands.
How did she even get there? Was she an actual criminal now? Thysia made no sense, she was nearly killed and yet she was the one that ended up behind bars.
It was very early in the morning – the Hand was probably still high up in the sky, if her internal clock was to be trusted. By all means, everyone should be asleep, even the guard that had imprisoned her. But she could hear two sets of footsteps approaching. She perked up as the guard from before appeared and looked at her from the other side of the bars.
“Not lucky, are you li’l panther? To have a run-in with the Pigskins. Don’t worry, I went back to the scene while you were cryin’ in the bathtub and confirmed that what you ate was a chicken and beef stew.” The guard pondered for a second, “I guess not so unlucky after all.”
Shah hissed at the massive man and curled up even tighter. Making fun of her, arresting her, and now even trying to confuse her with riddles!
“Say, I rescued you back there, am I gettin’ a reward for that?” It wasn’t a question, Shah realised, as the guard immediately reached for his keyring and went to unlock the gate to her cell.
”Touch her and it’s your head I cut off.” A familiar voice erupted through the prison hallway. Shah could hear the light talon steps of the half-blooded Kestrel draw closer, as Konne marched towards the guard standing in front of her jail cell. Her face was a mixture of annoyance and pure anger as she stared at the guard. ”You’re to release her immediately, guardsmen. Orders from Lord Suneater himself.”
The guard stiffened up nearly immediately and simply unlocked her gate and swung it open for Konne. “Wouldn’t dream of touching her. Had many chances while she was washing and changing. Did nothing then. Saved her from the Pigskins, would’ve ended up in a stew downtown.”
Shah sat up on the bed and as soon as Konne walked past the guard, Shah ran towards her bird friend, grabbing onto her clothes while completely unaware of her claws. “Shah did nothing wrong! She thought the food was free, she really thought so! Shah is not a criminal, she’s a Panthera, can’t be bad!” Shah whined and nuzzled desperately into Konne’s midsection. “Konne!”
The Kestrel sighed, doing her best to unhook Shah’s claws from her clothing. ”I’m sure you didn’t know Shah. But you can’t just bound off into the night like that.” She replied, half-pulling half-leading Shah out of the prison cell. Before turning to the guard with a glare on her face. ”First thing in the morning, get your fellow guardsmen and arrest those Snouters. Harming the bride of Lord Suneater is a crime punishable by torture and I will ensure it is delivered.” She didn’t wait for a reply, instead continuing to pull Shah along down the hallway.
Soon enough they had found their way out of the garrison entirely and Shah was able to regain control of herself, or at least enough of it that she managed to retract her claws. Then, after a while of silent walking, she let out a deep and shaky breath.
“Shah goes out at night because her husband sleeps all night. She was banned from sneaking into his room to watch him sleep so nowhere to go but outside! But Thysia is dangerous, she realises now. Also need new clothes. Shah threw her old ones away because uh, the Snouter ate them. Yeah.”
As she spoke, Konne suddenly stopped, looking at Shah. ”You…snuck into his room? No. Don’t answer that.” She sighed. ”We’ll get you new clothes, and. I’ll try to think of something for you to do at night okay? Something not dangerous that doesn’t require you leaving the palace.”
“And Konne?” Shah climbed onto Konne’s back, careful enough to not bother her wings, in one well-practised move. “You saved Shah- You saved me. Thank you. I was scared…” Shah whispered into her friends’ ear, and then went on to nibble on her shoulder.
The kestrel let Shah onto her back, having gotten used to the half-blood’s desire to be carried at times. ”Lord Suneater ordered it. And. The palace would be less lively without you I suppose.” She glared at Shah nibbling on her shoulder, sighing again as she continued to carry her towards the palace.
It is revealed that Shahari, the Suneater’s gifted bride, finds life at Thysia boring. People go to bed early, which leaves her lonely and without entertainment at night. One such evening she is unlucky enough to be caught by a Snouter, who is mad at her for constantly stealing food from his self-serve late night Food Stall. Things escalate until she is nearly killed, and then she is arrested. Konne arrives at the garrison and orders her released, and then the two start walking back to the palace.
Turn 8 has started, please check the MP Spreadsheet for your updated MP counts. Please let me know if any number is off and I'll fix it when I can.
Now for an announcement…
TODAY MARKS THE START OF OUR FIRST X-TURN!
The Hands of Time move ever forward, as do its subjects. For the duration of this turn, you’re heavily encouraged to make at least one post (no matter how short) exploring any of Galaxor’s creations.
The way you interact with your chosen creation is up to you. You could write about adopting tech from the Dominion, you could write a simple short exchange between an adventurer from Sylann and one from the Dominion, you could even write and complete your own quest within the Dominion, free of all oversight and with full creative licensing (yes, up to and including which reward you get from its completion.)
Turn 7 has started, please check the MP Spreadsheet for your updated MP counts. Please let me know if any number is off and I'll fix it when I can.
With this turn change, a 40 MP cap has been implemented. Any MP that you accumulate past this point will instead go to a communal pool that I can then decide how to redistribute if needed. There have also been changes to the Quest System, which have been explained very generally in the Discord.
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Quest Board
Mundane Quests (for mortals and heroes only): - Copper’s Gone: A copper shortage has reared its ugly head, and with it the price and value of bronze has shot up immensely. An initial investigation led by a ragtag group of adventurers named The Rusty Nails has managed to track the source of the shortage to the mysterious closing of massive sections of the largest quarry in the Land of Origin, but before long communications from the group of adventurers ceased as well. At the moment, the Quarry continues to operate in a limited capacity, managing to ship out other metals such as iron, but there’s no telling how sustainable this may be. CLAIMED BY SAUCER
- Gloink, the Gallant: Tales abound of the heroic exploits of a human-shaped gloink covered in white armor. If these tales are to be believed, the gloink in question saved five kittens from a hungry hawk, defeated an Outer-corrupted squirrel in one to one combat, and even managed to help a construction crew finish their project before their deadline by working three nights in a row. The Gloink is beloved by the realm as a symbol of kindness and hard work… Or it was, until it was captured by a local militia who are now denouncing it as the one behind the cold-blooded murder of their leader. Now, people are split and can’t seem to decide what to do, and if nothing is done, the Gloink will be put to death by the militia. CLAIMED BY... KHODEX?
Divine Quests (for all): - The Many Masks Masquerade: It is said that an enchanting place can be found deep in the wild reaches of the Inner Veil. A place so grand and so exotic that one could get lost in it for decades. A place where one could see everything there is to see – for a price – except for one thing. Everyone and everything, including the animals and insects, wear masks in the Masquerade. Anyone who takes their mask off while in the Masquerade, disappears the moment no one is looking at them. The Traveler of Arbor, a renowned explorer, has on many occasions shared that they would “kill to go back to the Masquerade one more time”, but also that he has “Sadly forgotten where it is or how he even left it in the first place.” CLAIMED BY WRONGEND
The LITTLE GOD of the LITTLE THINGS | The FEIGHDFULC MATHAIR | LADY of the FADE | The KHODEXBORN LADYPRINCE of the FAE-FINTE | The FAERIE QUEEN | The GREAT VEILED ONE | MISTRESS of the PLACE BETWIXT ALL PLACES HIGH QUEEN of the FAIRIES
Domain Glamour
Glamour defined. Glamour, also known as gramarye, is the magick of the fairy queen. Glamour emanates from her being and so springs from a source altogether independent of any other magick. It exists with her existence, and with her cessation must cease. Glamour is the magick of the faerie queen who dwells within the Veil - not beyond, but within the Veil - that separates the material realm from the astral realm, the afterlife, and all other dimensions within the world of the Khodex. The great hallways of her kingdoms and wildwoods are the fabric and walls between the dimensions of the world, and by her will is the material melded into the immaterial so that the onlooker, should she so will, can no more know the mundane from the ethereal.
Glamour as All-magick. By virtue of Roisin’s creation out of the Khodex, glamour also acts as the great harmoniser of all existent and potential magicks into what may be termed the All-magick. By means of All-magick, Arcana can be accessed, the energies of the Astralis Lumen harnessed, and Chaos magicks be called forth. By means of it secrets can be channelled - though the greatest secret in existence, ever beyond the Eidolon’s grasp in keeping with its writing into the Khodex that no being be omniscient, is how the All-magick is able to act as a conduit for secret magick. By means of the All-magic also can runes be carved into rock, water, or air, and can new runes be discovered or created. By its means also can the tenets of tradition be fortified or by foul means shattered - and repaired and brought aright too, for the glamour of the All-magick is such a thing. By means of glamour the magicks of the R'kava are tamed for the All-magick, the hallways of past lives are negotiated, the pathways of death are traversed and the dead are summoned unto life. Moreover, by means of the All-magick are the meanings of things altered - not by science and prodigious learning and such cumbersome things, but by glamorous arts, words and songs of power, and mysterious crafts that none comprehend. Thus is the All-magick of the Little god of the Little Things. Needless be said, the All-magick also permits those who harness it - witches, beldams, druids, mystics, shamans, wizards, and ten hundred other names - to access the glamorous magicks of the Fairy Queen. This allows practitioners, by means of magickal items (such as wands and magic carpets), potions and concoctions, and words of power (incantations and spells - or sometimes, sheer will!) to shapeshift, fly, vanish, move objects and even buildings, heal or inflict disease, listen to or see far-off happenings through the Veil, deceive the senses by means of illusions and other deceptions, create potions of love and madness and much else, and even bind creatures of the astral realm to them as familiars. If a word of power, or a song or dance, can be found for it, then no magickal feat is beyond the willing practitioner.
Description
Wise beyond measure and kind beyond words, the magnolious queen of the fairies sprinkles her magicks unto existence, and wherever the echo of her impossible beauty is felt all swoon and are smitten... and driven to madness and pain! Bitterly does she hide her countenance and her beauty from all, sadly does she by glamourous arts and phantasmic potions and crafts scatter from the eyes of all the very thought or memory of her face. Like a rippling mirage on sun-scattered sands is her countenance, hidden not beyond the Veil of the immaterial but within it, inside it - and only by the laughter of her Fae children - and by poor glamorous disguises! - will her existence be known!
Full of love, most resplendent love, is the heart of the Little god of the Little Things, and though she cannot wander in her splendour from the Veil, still is she a most eager and most munificent host. If her countenance is never to grace mortal eyes beyond her kingdom, and if she is not to dance there in the world of blood and soil or hold court, then mortals - and their eyes - must be brought to be graced by her! Could one such as her, who knows only love, wisdom, and kindness, wallow away in her exile and be thought a world-hating recluse, a veritable scrooge, a dragon on her mountain of gold, a most vile and evil hag? Why, let her love-drowned heart burst and perish before such would be said of her! Here in her court, where her countenance shines most sweetly on all eyes and brings only pleasure and delight, will the song of great hospitality and generosity be sung.
Musical Theme
Roisin Magnolia is approved! I particularly enjoy the usage of the word Glamour to describe beautiful magic, a combination I guess of the old and new meanings of the word.
You may post the CS in the Characters tab, as well as post in the IC as Roisin, at your leisure.
Turn 5 has started, please check the MP Spreadsheet for your updated MP counts. Please let me know if any number is off and I'll fix it when I can.
Given that the vast majority of the fronts that opened up with the Outer Beast invasion have been wrapped up, I can announce that the first Transcendental quest has been completed! Rewards will be handed out in an upcoming post!
Enjoy our return to a relatively peaceful world, lads.
Turn 4 has started, please check the MP Spreadsheet for your updated MP counts. Please let me know if any number is off and I'll fix it when I can.
The Transcendental Quest is still ongoing, and its state is as follows: The entryway the Outer beasts were using to enter the material realm has been sealed thanks to the sacrifices of Voi and Lareus, but the two Greater Outer Beasts as well as the Lesser Beast hordes remain, as do the many settlements that have begun to be created around the Blood Ocean. The Dream Realm has been taken over by The Eidolon as part of their deal with the Outer God called the Presence, an action which has indirectly saved the lives of many dreamers who would’ve had their dreams invaded by outer entities otherwise. The Astral Realm is under siege by hordes of Outer Entities, with Luminaries giving their all to hold wave after wave of invaders back.
With the entryway to the material realm gone, the finish line is in sight. Glory be to the heroic gods of Galbar! First cohort to actually earn their station!
Member
Lord Zee
Thayr
Enzayne
Vec
WrongEndoftheRainbow
ActRaiserTheReturned
Dezuel
Dark Cloud
Verjil
