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    1. Twhirtley 9 yrs ago

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8 yrs ago
Current Green Names are the Superior Race
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Bio

You're an interesting species. An interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.
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Haha you'll learn real quick that I like to... take advantage of "mistakes"
Much to Verissa's own surprise, she relaxed as Asher's hand encompassed her own. She opened the fist, and felt relief and something... else, as his fingers intertwined with her own. There was a flutter of something within her stomach. She gave his hand the slightest of squeezes, a sort of thanks for acknowledging her claim on Jasper's life.

But a year of slavery made her stomach drop. She knew that she wasn't strong, and she knew from seeing the years of training the Ebon Knights had put in that a lot of time was needed to become strong. But it still felt like so long. And that was when she realized, thanks to Asher's words, that she had an advantage. Her magic. That could give her an edge, one to speed up the process. That also meant she would need to practice her magic just as hard as she practiced her staff. It meant a lot of exhausted nights. It meant a lot of pain. Verissa knew she had to do. She knew she had to be free. Free to choose the life she wanted.

She bumped her small shoulder against Asher's hard bicep playfully, "I have a good teacher." She looked over at him, her face smiling softly in appreciation, seeing the slightly forced smile on his own. Deciding to edge away from these thoughts of freedom and separation, she lifted his hand up between them, "Would you like to see it? My magic?"

Without waiting for permission, she let the magic flow from all of the skin of her hand, bleeding through Asher's hand. He wouldn't be able to feel the magic, but he'd be able to see the lavender glow spreading through his hand. She covered both their hands in the liquid like magic, letting him study the glow if he so desired. Then she expanded it, making it into a bubble around their hands, glowing, clearly stretched and strained, some spots clearly thinner than others. Then she nodded at it, and it disappeared from sight.

"It's a bit rushed, but try to touch your hand with the other." She knew it was a weak shield, but it kept their wrists together, like a snug sleeve. It would prevent any pokes or prodding from breaking through, but even a proper punch would break it. "I met a man once. Sort of a man. A shade. He was a knight. He told me this magic used to be called Praetorio, old tongue for protect or walls. I prefer to call it shielding. It reminds me of the shields that the knights used to protect themselves and others." She paused, to look at her dogs, both of whom were trying to nap, "I used it as a cast to help set Remilia's leg. I've used it to stop people from bleeding out that would've otherwise died. And... I used it that first night we met, when Jasper tried to kill me. It protects me and others. That's all I know of it really."
As the first wave of skeeters took back to the sky, to gain altitude, speed, and regroup, they saw the diving rage of dragons. The largest within the swarm, a particularly vicious female, let out a high pitched screech. This screech was soon matched by all of the other skeeters. It shot in a cone at the dragons, meant to disrupt, deafen, and confuse the attackers. But it also worked as a cry for reinforcements.

The swarm angled to meet the dragons directly, losing critical speed as they moved upwards. The large gold that carried Rotmek flicked its tail, straightening it out, and tucked in his wings. Rotmek whooped and dug the hooks in just a bit more tightly for he knew the maneuver that was coming. The dragon dove like a spear, and then began its barrel roll. It spun quickly, releasing its corrosive breath through the swarm as it stabbed through. He took several minor knicks and cuts from the bladed wings, but his breath had spread through the swarm heavily. The skeeters that took the most of it fell from the sky as their wings could no longer support them.

Once Rotmek and Tamaraniz shot out the back of the swarm, he opened his wings once more, glancing back to see that his rider had maintained consciousness. The smiling dwarf beamed back and the pair continued toward the village as half the swarm fell from the gas. Rotmek could see a second swarm, roughly the size of the first making way for the village. The second strike while the first kept the attackers busy. He peered through his goggles though, for something seemed off. There was something... big in the second swarm. Dragon sized big. He knew if he saw it, Tam saw it as well, and being the leader of the Flight, it would be his target. Rotmek pulled out another stick, popped the top as blue smoke began pouring out of it, and dropped it toward the village. It was the signal of the rally point. The remaining dragons would know it would indicate where they were to go to defend, rather than pulling the first swarm away.

The second swarm reached the village first, targeting the injured first, going into a frenzy at the scent of blood in the air. Verissa saw a few latecomers join her and the other defenders, including the singing woman from earlier. The swarm flowed through the village like a river, slicing down building and person a like. Verissa whistled and charged forward, her loyal dogs following close. The tip of the swarm was heading toward her. With a few bird whistles, signals she learned from her time in the Kvaren. The dogs tucked in close to her. She slammed her staff down into the ground, and expanded the shield that she always kept around it. For a brief moment, it glowed lavender before disappearing from sight. The swarm slammed into the wedge shaped shield. It parted the swarm, several dying on impact or from being thrown into the ground or the building. After the first several deaths, the swarm pulled up and flew over it. Her dogs worked as executioners, finishing off the injured beasts while avoiding the brunt of the healthy ones.

The large skeeter that was following the swarm was elongated, more like a massive centipede with dozens of bladed wings. Tam and Rotmek were already en route toward it. Tam could sense that it was a female, but not a queen. Queens of any insects don't leave the hive. It must be a princess, next in the line of succession. That meant bigger, stronger, and healthier. Tam flapped hard, picking up speed, keeping his legs tucked, his tail working as a rudder. Tam was quite large by even dragon's standards, but that didn't slow him. While many dragons preferred a life of leisure with their hoards, Tam did not. He flew every day, stayed active, and had no interest in wealth. Whenever he was given wealth, he had a tendency to just let whoever was nearby to have it. He just enjoyed the quiet life of a hardened warrior.

He roared in challenge at the princess, still speeding toward her. When they were close to a collision, he flipped over, extending his claws to either rake at her belly or possibly get a good hold on her, to rip her from her flight. But she was a bit too agile. She pulled up quickly, only getting a few superfluous scores in her exoskeleton. She was able to whip around faster than Tam, like an eel in the sky. On his tail, she screeched so loudly, that any watching could see a shockblast from it. The blast struck Tam in the hip and sent him careening momentarily, forcing him to strain hard to stop his momentum. By the time he got turned around, the princess was atop him, tackling into him, her many legs finding a grip under his scales. Then she stopped flying, forcing him to support all of her weight. And he could not. They started a free fall together.

The secondary swarm kept rising and falling over the village, swooping in and out through the bigger streets. Many stopped to hover into open doors or smaller alleyways, seeking out metal and blood to eat. A particularly large male caught a scent from an alcove and floated toward it, toward Shadzi. Several others caught the scent as well, and joined in the search for its exact location.
@canaryrose - are you replying in the very near future? If not, i'll be passing over you and replying for the others. You're still welcome to reply at any time though
Verissa smiled at Asher's concern for Remilia. She gently picked up the dog and slumped her across her lap, as she scootched over next to Asher, giving her seat to the injured dog. She wondered why he was asking for her to be closer, maybe it was just to make conversing easier. She moved close enough for their legs to touch, so that Remilia would have plenty of room to be comfortable.

Verissa listened as he told her of their destination. It still amazed her just how big the Kerawac was. She'd always thought the Ebonfort Empire was huge, but these plains could easily be ten times the size of it or more. She wondered just how many people were here, and just how successful they'd be in a raid if they all went in on it together. It was still impressive to her just how so many people could not only survive, but thrive in such a harsh environment, without walls to live behind.

She saw the slight grin, heard the mild playfulness in his vagueness. This was something he thought she'd truly enjoy, a genuine gesture on his part. She found herself growing rather fond of these brief moments of kindness, softness in the hard man. They weren't often, but when they appeared, they truly stood out. But then came the comment on privacy. She wasn't entirely sure on what to make of that, for they had privacy within their shared tent. What was it that he was waiting for?

When he mentioned the incident from earlier with Jasper, however, her features hardened. Asher had saved her the first time against the man and his cruel desires. But Verissa was not going to be a victim again. Jasper, in her mind, was not Asher's problem, but her own. To assume responsibility for him, only further reminded her that she was Asher's property. He'd probably kill a man for damage to his horse or tent, just as toward his slave. She turned slightly away from him, trying to snuff out some of her anger, mixed at being a slave and at Jasper.

"I hurt him worse. I'd have cut his throat earlier, but missed my moment. No man will ever hurt me as he tried. I'll kill them all first."


She didn't care if it sounded ridiculous. After all, she had no skills at killing anyone, and had gotten incredibly lucky with her last meeting with Jasper. It was clear that she was still weak. But every word was dripping with venom and dedication. She meant what she'd said.

Still fuming, she looked off in the distance, her fist closest to Asher bone white from how hard it was clenched. She needed to become strong, to become free. She needed to became a true Kvaren. And to do that, to stop being treated like a slave, in her mind, she needed to stop acting like one. "I will be the one to kill Jasper. He's mine, not yours."
@berd - Accepted :D Welcome to the family. Post your CS in the CS section, and hop in as you see fit :D
Rotmek loved the feel of the wind through his beard, flapping over his shoulder, as the ground soared by below. He was the first non-dragon to join the Wing-Host. After the demon city appeared, as well as the destructive god Coria, it was soon realized that dragons would need some aid in defending their territory. So they made a single Flight within the Wing-Host to include battle tested non-dragons, and Rotmek was made Flight Commander. He had a brilliant eye for strategy as well as a joy for flying. He was one of the only dwarves that had been allowed to ride on a dragon's back. Many dragons still consider being rode as a great shame, as if they were cattle. But some considered it a partnership and made it work.

Rotmek rode without any form of saddle, using hooks that kept a hold on the dragon's scales. He was leading a flight of dragons and half dragons to Gold Ridge. Many of the older, wealthier dragons were curious about the valuables that people collected from the demons, things that could only be found in the Abyssal realm. And dragons had learned that the archfiends that ruled that demonic city were quite powerful, on par with themselves. So some preferred to send hired mercenaries to gather for them. Many a dragon had been killed or injured attempting to steal the treasures from the archfiends.

Rotmek looked over his shoulder and saw the many wings, mostly reds and greens. Blues were incredibly rare in Pyresia any more, ever since their great exodus to follow their god. Looking forward, through his tinted goggles, he saw Gold Ridge, the hodgepodge village on a cliff. He peered through the telescopic lenses, made for him by some of their finest engineers, and saw a dark cloud moving toward Gold Ridge. He smiled, it was time for fun.

He pulled out a cylinder, ripped the cap off with his teeth, and slammed the butt against the dragon beneath him. It caused no harm, but it did cause a reaction that shot a green fireball high into the air. It was a signal of combat incoming. Many roars bellowed from behind him indicating they'd seen the signal and were ready for the carnage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Verissa glanced back at the many children, most of whom were rushing inside, leaving behind any metal toys or tools that they might've had with them. It made her heart pang a little, that children would have to know such vital survival tactics. With a flick of her wrist, her bow staff snapped around, whirling and locking up behind her right shoulder. It was automatic now. Her preparation. Asher had taught it when she had become more adept. It let her test the weapon, ensure that it was still good, and it was used as a sort of trigger to put her into a combat mindset.

Her dogs knew the motion as well. They both hopped up, staying close, but out of reach of her staff. They were calm, now that they knew there was a threat, they slipped into the training that was taught to them by Asher, their mother, and the houndmaster of the Thunderfang tribe. They were bigger than most of the incoming skeeters, and would put up more than just a fight. They would be a veritable threat.

Verissa checked all of the shields she currently had in place. She had some of the standard shields around her dogs necks and vulnerable bellies, still humming with power. The only other shields she maintained hummed around her weapon, particularly at both ends of it. The guards that had greeted her at the village entrance, along with many others, were now taking up positions around the village center. One looked over at her, grinning like a fool, "If we survive this, wanna have a drink with me tonight?"

Verissa wanted to just flat out say no, but she knew these type of men. They didn't stop at a simple no. "Fine. That just makes you another creature I have to bash in the skull of." The threat wasn't even close to real, and Verissa still always felt awkward about having to display false bravado. But it elicited a round of laughter from the man's friends.

The buzzing in the air was now deafening, the cloud showing that it was quite a large swarm. Maybe sixty or so of the giant bugs. Thankfully, the village seemed prepared for the most part, as several ballistae began firing bone tipped spears into the swarm. Few were starting to fall, as the dive bomb began. The bugs dove down, heading straight for the main group of people. Skeeters had a single tactic; fly by, attempt to cripple the prey with their bladed wings. Repeat until dead or victorious.

The dive met the group, many of whom dove aside or threw themselves on the ground. The more skilled of the later slashed at the underbellies of the creatures as they flew by, sending the insects crashing. Verissa snapped her bo staff around several times. When a skeeter dove at her, she whipped the low end of her staff upward, the end crashing just beneath its mandibles. The creature's head snapped back harder than any might expect, throwing its momentum upward and over her, before it crashed into the ground, oozing around its neck where the exoskeleton had cracked.

Remus and Remilia took a different tactic. Remus was the bait, a skeeter diving toward him. As it got close, Remilia dove in behind the bladed wings, getting an unbreakable hold on the creature's body and tackling it to the ground. Remus followed with his sister and they tore the creature to shreds. The first wave passed over them, weakened but still a threat. A couple of the guards and mercs had fallen, and there hadn't been many to begin with. It would be a tight war of attrition. Who would run out of forces first?
I built a medieval fantasy world to accommodate people who wanted to play any fantasy character type, be it something that exists already (dwarves, elves, humans, orcs) or something of their own creation. The world was commonly called Ebonfort, and housed dozens of RPs on this site at the time.

As for basic details on the world, I can provide a link for all the details. I've built a wiki for many of the more advanced information.

ebonfort.wikia.com/wiki/Ebonfort_Wikia

As well as the original master thread that has lots of details as well.

roleplayerguild.com/topics/83037-ebonf..

I can give more detailed information, but questions help, because there's lots of information.
Verissa heard the telltale growl coming from Remus as Asher approached. She wasn't sure how it was different, but she knew that her pups growled a bit differently when he approached versus anyone else. Something along the lines of not trusting him yet, but tolerating him, unlike with strangers. She cocked her head to the side curiously as he placed the clay pots in their place, wondering just what it was that Shenzi had tasked him with. And it's not like anyone could refuse the old fox woman. Not even Asher.

She stood up as Asher handed over her staff. She mumbled a thanks, more of a deterrent for not wanting to bring up the incident that led to her losing it. But she appreciated how he called her a warrior, even if she was just a fledgling. She was by no means lethal or anything, but the way he said it sounded as if he meant it seriously, and that he wasn't being patronizing or sarcastic. She nodded at the comment. Verissa picked up Remilia while Asher tore down the tent, and set her in the wagon, to sit between her and Asher.

Her pups needed to learn to trust Asher, and vice versa, and to do that, they needed to spend more time together. It would be the only way they could make this new situation of theirs work fully. She knew there was no leaving, and deep down, she didn't really want to. There was nothing to go back to, aside from perhaps seeing her father one last time. But holed up in the Ebonfort capital made that an impossibility of the highest magnitude.

Once Asher finished the packing, Verissa pulled herself up into the wagon, Remus, with a bit of a scrambling jump and awkward climbing, made his way into it as well. The pups were sleepy, for they were still growing bundles of energy, and he curled up between her feet. Verissa kept a hand on Remilia, scratching at her head between her ears. She smiled as Asher kissed at his horse, finding yet another endearing trait about the hardened man. Once he was sat, reins in hand, and the cart shuffling forward, she finally decided to ask.

"So where are we off to for this... vacation?"

Saying it aloud made it sound a bit silly to her, vacations were for city people, squatters as her new people called them. She knew the Kvaren took recreation and relaxation just like anyone else, but it made her ponder on if it counts as a vacation if one doesn't have a permanent home? They were simply visiting another part of what they considered home. She found her eyes wandering to the rolling grassy plains, bright and lush with life, hoping that at least this trip would be nice. She was tired of everything that seems to go well ending in disaster. A respite would be greatly appreciated.
Drache here will be joining us in the near future. She's an old schooler from the original ebonfort RP. I look forward to her return and some depth to the old plot lines
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