​

Titles
[Monster], [Undead], [Monster - Mundane], [Monster - Evolved], [Necromancer] - [#2d7d38]
Noteworthy Perks: [Evolved] - gain the title evolved. Something about your physiology or aura identifies to others you are of a higher species than your peers. Gain a +1 to social exchanges with others of your racial tree.
[Menace] - An aura of fear emanates from the creature at all times that makes lower grade creatures take a -1 effectiveness on attacks against monster or monster allies.

Noteworthy Perks: Resilient C (28) [Aging/Fatigue and Exhaustion/Suffocation/Surprised]

Asset Goal: Duchy Nobility F



“)I see your master has not deprived you of our language. Good.(“ The faintest amusement echoed from the undead’s hollering core, as he adopted the Abyssal back in kind, his tone the kind of monstrous, inhuman shriek. It was the kind of sound that likely plagued children’s storybook, of what would they find if they misbehaved, yet it would likely leave full-grown adults without the courage to sleep for a few days. Nothing of that was posturing, however: it was what laid below the mortal guise.

And to Liu’s least pleasant answer, there was a moment of pure silence. The greenish flames that flickered around ⚐︎⬧︎⬧︎♋︎■︎♏︎⧫︎♒︎ kept doing so, neither lessening nor increasing. Beside the crackling of the mystical fire, the only constant was the skeletal finger tapping against the glassy globe at the crown of the ornate cane. A dark, green pulse emanated from the circular adornment in set intervals. Through the silent, thoughts crossed through the necromancer’s head. A few containing violence, but were eventually dismissed: what stood in front of him was not a simple, expendable familiar. The human necromancer could very well be attached to it.

“)Then deliver the message that ⚐︎⬧︎⬧︎♋︎■︎♏︎⧫︎♒︎ wishes to convey with her, yet no door stays ajar forever.(“ What could only be described as a dark chuckle, escaped the gaping, skeletal and empty core of the ‘Professor’, as slowly the façade was once more recreated upon his visage. There was a wet sound of flesh being stitched back together and, eventually, the guise once more was present on him. “I believe it is time we rejoin the group, mmm? There are limits to where mimicry can be kept.”

The hazel black eyes, which had stayed focused on Liu, shifted towards the group and the shack at the distance as Severin turned his whole body towards them.

Both illusions had not dared to go inside the shack, rather, they stayed outside. And, as the professor tapped the cane softly against the ground, everything was undone: the ‘pocket void’ that Liu had been kept in, illusions simply disappeared against the wind. And, from in a rather hurried pace, the professor approached the group from behind, handkerchief once more held against his nose.

“Are you three alright?” He asked, one eyebrow raised, looking at Vetreus, Esther and Penny. “It seems that thing, whatever it was, doesn’t react too well with the radiance from your attacks.” Directing that specifically at Vetreus, he continued. “That was quite the cloud of smoke. It might be best to visit a healer when this is over, just to be sure.” Leaving enough breadcrumbs, but not committing to anything, the professor peered into the interior of the rundown shack.

CDs: C 1/2

Asset Goal: Fae See Church F

While the shack did not spew forth untold horrors when it opened, it did house quite the interesting sight. Something had been set up some time ago and it potentially turned the forest into what it was now. As curious as Esther was, this did seem like a job for someone a bit more durable. She did not have the means to protect herself in such a small space, and felt that she would be better suited to assisting from the outside.

And there were no shortage of interesting things happening outside either. While Liu’s behavior seemed a bit off, it was at least understandable given the circumstances. Severin was acting very strange as well. The entire time they had been in each other’s vicinity, he had always held himself with a sort of unshakable confidence. He was the first to do everything, from leave the Luminary’s briefing room to entering the cursed forest. But he had gotten behind everyone when Esther had "opened" the door. Surely someone with such potent protective magics, who confidently strode everywhere, would not choose now to stand at the back of the line? Then there was his chilling aura. Esther had been under its effect for so long that she had started to become accustomed to it. But it hadn’t been active for a time. Though now it was, and she was reminded of how unsettling it was.

Shifts in personality, what could cause such strangeness? It didn’t take Esther long to suspect the hallucinogenic spores. She would need something stronger to examine everyone, and she herself was not an expert on such matters. But maybe she could detect the presence of the spores if she tried hard enough. Of course the first act of diagnosing anything was to check your own equipment, so Esther examined herself with her magic. She strummed her harp, and some glowing musical notes hovered around her body.

"Doctor Vaust." Esther addressed him while she examined her person. "I imagine it’s quite difficult to become a scholar of magic. What made you interested in becoming a scholar of religion as well?"

Liu felt his vision distort a bit at the utterance of this creature's name, as though he viewed the world through some fluid medium in which the name caused a ripple. He did not mutter it but stood still for a moment to process and looked down at his hand curiously, observing for more, subtle things for interest's sake. A curious happening like this was new to him. He would have to think about it later, however, as this curtain of darkness melted away. Light broke through overhead and then the walls dissipated, curling into the earth like smoke in an unseen wind -- indeed this jungle did much to stifle the mundane kind -- his head snapped up toward the group, and then toward the shack. The mission.

He peered in behind Esther, leaning in. His form froze in place as he peered from left to right in the room. Magical glowing crystal in the middle of the room? Wouldn't be the first time. Madman's journal detailing the depravity through which this awful outcome was achieved? New, but not terribly out of sorts. Something to be thankful for. Dolls.

Liu quietly cleared his throat and leaned out of the shack, stepping a couple steps away and placed his hands on his shoulders, mimicking the sounds of deep breathing while peering at the ground and kicking a leaf that was sticking up from the loam. Why did it have to be dolls? He could remember vividly the stories of jiang-shi, possessed puppets, and so on told in the wee hours. He has seen a mushroom the size of a small house get up and speak. He's seen a titan made of ice and magic rear back and do its best to smash him to dust. Liu crouched down and began poking at the dirt, mumbling inaudibly to himself, "dolls... I would rather more beasts... an evil dragon maybe... what did I do to deserve this?"

Vetreus nodded his head towards Severin, “Never felt better, I’m the king of the jungle and my jester isn’t just a gag.” He smirked, this was likely the closest thing she would get to a compliment from him.

The draconian would stand at the doorway, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the room. “An odd place for a shack, and even odder things within.” He was wary of stepping in, monsters were one thing and rather simple minded in how they wished to kill you. The smell of old blood made Vetreus scrunch his nose. Perhaps this shack belongs to a cult of sorts.

Inside, numerous creations lined. Peaking the draconians interest. A tinkerer such as himself was curious to see the work of the mindless. His eyes shined a bright yellow as he activated [Danger Sense F], highlighting his predatory pupils. Should his abilities prove capable, he would be able to perceive impending danger to a degree.

The draconian would stride into the shack, his eyes first caught on the heartstone. The etch and groves of the creation was interesting, he questioned what one would use such a contraption here for. Blinking, the draconian would look towards the rickety shelves. He would raise an eyebrow as children’s toys lined the shelves, disheveled and rather creepy looking.

With unease, Vetreus would grip the sword tighter. Moving towards the rotten cot lazing in the corner. Seeing the book with water damage, he would pick it up with his free hand. Before examining the contents of the book, he would give a brisk look around the shack before opening up the contents of the book and attempting to glean any knowledge.

Griselda on the other hand was still in a bad mood, her stomach growling lightly as she stayed wrapped around her companion's torso. Her eyes were focused on their cohorts, switching between each of them. Ever so often she would audibly sigh, letting Vetreus know she was irritable but the man paired her no mind. Unwilling to split his attention.

@DoubleChecker@Book @Red Hood @pkken


Peering from behind Esther into the room wasn’t an easy task, she was quite tall and the doorway wasn’t the largest of openings as she had to lean to the side to try to peer from behind her into the open room. Only for her view to get blocked by Liu and then Vetreus who made their way to the front. Even so, she managed to at least get an initial glimpse of the dreary place and its currently abandoned interior. It wasn't very welcoming and could use some better design and decoration choices but considering who might have been living here it was at least very fitting.

It had been a while since Penny had seen a place quite this dusty and disorganized. She couldn’t say she was all that surprised considering the location of the shack and its outside appearance. Even so, whoever owned the place could have at least tidied things up before they left. There was dust absolutely everywhere and those dolls weren’t even organized or lined up as precisely as they could have been. Well something would have to be done about both of those things, even if they were on an important mission she couldn’t just ignore this mess and not do something about it.

Following Vetreus lead into the shack without second thought, she turned her attention towards the shelves producing a feather duster from her right sleeve. Dusting off the shelf and the dolls upon it, she took meticulous care to arrange them into a neat and tidy line, ensuring that each was sitting up properly as she went over every inch until she was satisfied with the cleanliness of the shelf she had been working on. Moving onto the next shelf as she meticulously dusted and arranged away to her heart's content. Something about cleaning and organizing things made her feel a great deal of satisfaction. It wasn’t a chore to her, she would do this all day quite happily if she was given the chance. Making sure to take her time while she could right now to ensure she put her best effort forth. She wasn’t too worried about anything else, as she knew the others would be more concentrated on finding any useful information. Meaning she could take care of what cleaning she could manage to fit in before they had to leave the shack and continue on.

[If you are interested in joining a setting like this, check out: roleplayerguild.com/topics/196759-ise…]

@DoubleChecker - Severin Vaust Asset Goal: Grand Duchy Nobility F
@Book - Liu Fei Asset Goal: ?
@pkken - Vetreus Draedora Asset Goal: Harvester Asset Mine F
@Red Hood - Esther Keaten Asset Goal: ?
@Nakushita - Penny "Iron Maiden of Pax" Asset Goal: ?



The oppressive silence of the clearing is broken as the world seems to correct itself. The illusory figures of Severin and Liu shimmer and dissipate like heat haze, and in the same instant, the real pair approaches from the treeline behind the group, their sudden reappearance seamless and disorienting.

Esther has noticed a certain shift. The sudden disappearance and reappearance of Severin's aura, coupled with his uncharacteristic hesitation earlier, raises her suspicion. Believing it could be the effect of the hallucinogenic spores she appraised earlier, she decides to check herself first. She strums her harp, and a cascade of glowing musical notes hovers around her body. Her Appraisal magic flows through her, searching for any foreign contaminants. The result is clear: [No Spores Detected]. She is clean. The strangeness is not an illusion affecting her.

Meanwhile, the group begins to investigate the shack. Vetreus, wary but resolute, is the first to enter. His Danger Sense activates, his pupils narrowing as he scans the room. He feels a general, low-level sense of unease, the kind that comes from a place steeped in death and strange magic, but there is no immediate, acute threat. No traps are sprung, nothing lies in ambush. The danger here is more subtle, more ambient.

His attention is drawn to the back corner. He steps past the central table with its pulsing Heartstone and retrieves the leather-bound journal from the floor beside the rotting cot. The book is damp, and the ink on many pages has bled into illegible smudges. However, he finds a few sections that are mostly intact. The handwriting is a frantic, looping scrawl:

...the Heart beats for us all. It sings the song of growth and rot. I brought it here, away from the unbelievers. They wanted to lock it away, to study it. Fools! You don't study a god, you worship it...
...the first children are born. I carved them from the Elderwood, and the Heart gave them breath. They watch. They listen. They understand the song. They are a better family than the one I left behind...
...The forest provides. The Grave-Tenders bring offerings. The Stalkers guard the paths. My family grows. Soon, the whole forest will sing the same song. The song of the one true heart...
The final entry is barely legible, the writing shaky and stained with something dark.
...it is not enough. The Heart is lonely. It needs a voice. A true voice. Not wood. Not rot. It needs... flesh. A new child. A perfect child...

While Vetreus is absorbed in the hermit's mad ramblings, Penny follows him inside, but her focus is entirely different. Appalled by the dust and disarray, she produces a feather duster from her sleeve as if by magic. With a determined expression, she begins her sacred work. She meticulously dusts each of the wooden dolls on the shelves, arranging them into neat, perfect rows. As she handles them, she notices they are surprisingly heavy for their size, carved from a dense, dark wood. Each one is unique, but they all share the same unnerving quality of being fixed in a state of silent, watchful attention.

Outside, Liu, having returned from the void, seems deeply unsettled. He peers into the shack, his gaze lingering on the rows of dolls, and then quickly steps back, crouching down to poke at the dirt and mutter to himself, clearly wanting nothing to do with the contents of the hovel.

The shack has offered up its first secrets: the ravings of a mad hermit, a strange pulsing crystal, and a silent congregation of unnervingly clean wooden dolls. The forest's rhythmic THUMP... THUMP... continues its ceaseless beat.

​

Titles
[Monster], [Undead], [Monster - Mundane], [Monster - Evolved], [Necromancer] - [#2d7d38]
Noteworthy Perks: [Evolved] - gain the title evolved. Something about your physiology or aura identifies to others you are of a higher species than your peers. Gain a +1 to social exchanges with others of your racial tree.
[Menace] - An aura of fear emanates from the creature at all times that makes lower grade creatures take a -1 effectiveness on attacks against monster or monster allies.

Noteworthy Perks: Resilient C (28) [Aging/Fatigue and Exhaustion/Suffocation/Surprised]

Asset Goal: Duchy Nobility F

“Difficult?” Vaust repeated the words, a slight tilt of his head accompanying it, storing the handkerchief into his pocket once more. “I would say that, like in any other trade, it does require the time and effort. And, depending on how competent one plans to be in their chosen field, the degree of said effort varies.” A rather neutral, scholarly answer. Next he would step into the shack itself, stepping to the rack of the dolls, a singular hand reaching and grabbing one of them, which had gandered most of his attention. Gloves wrapped around its dense frame, around its torso, holding it to the side.

“Now, why study the arcane arts and religion…” He turned, the tip of his cane poking against the creaking floorboards of the wooden shack. “... have you ever wondered why everything has mana?” Posing the big fairy such a question, eyes gazing upon Esther, he let his own silence stretch dramatically, before continuing. “No matter what being study, you analyze: from the lowest of goblins to the ancient dragons which I was fortunate enough to glimpse, while accompanying a group in one of Ryke Guild’s Request, all of them have at least some capacity of it.”

Steps once more, this time towards the threshold of the shack, stopping near the entrance. He lifted the hefty doll towards the Fae, eyes pointing right at her. “No one is really incapable of conjuring mana, since either birth or conception. Now, that is not to say that improper channeling of it can’t cause every single organ or nervous thread sensitive to it to be destroyed, but that is a different topic.” Turning the doll over, he glanced at it, before walking back to the shelf, placing it neatly as to not disturb the order that Penny had created there.

“Still, how this mana is brought forth varies. Yours, for example.” Lifting his cane, he pointed the globular crown towards the fairy, the tip swirling in that dark, mossy green. “It is brought by playing on your harp, which, I might add, intrigues me and would like to know more about.” A faint smile appeared on his mustachioed lips. “It is as unique as the next one, so many different ways to bring forth this seemingly ‘essential force’ that [Construct], [Fae], [Monster], [Beastkin] and us have, waiting for something to unlock it.”

His hand retreated, finger now tapping against the glass crown on his cane. “Why the different races share this common connection, let’s say, despite their jarring differences? I have my own inklings of the possibility of a primordial god, one that preceded every single one that the different ‘sects’, both official and unofficial, claim to exist and interfere in our world. Or, at least, that is how every singular thread I’ve found during my investigation led me to believe. As much as experts in both fields may seem to despise one another, like Proctor Valeriana showed, or how the Church in the Grand Duchy would likely call our investigation here blasphemous or any name to keep the truth of the matter hidden behind the veil, I say that both sources of knowledge are dependent on one another, so that the truth can be glimpsed.”

CDs: C 2/2

Esther was starting to get a handle on how everyone behaved, so Vetreus and the sulking murder noodle received little attention from Esther. Zelda’s grandstanding and insistence on using a nickname that didn’t bother her was part of the package that made up the noble. The mute maid was harder to figure out, but given that she largely kept to herself there was no real reason to acknowledge her. It was curious how she was trying to clean the shack up, but given that the woman was dressed like a maid, she decided that it might be a calming ritual. To do something that she had done hundreds of times before to better cope with the horrors of her situation. Come to think of it, everything she had done since she first appeared seemed like something a frightened person might do. Give away her food, refuse to speak, and do chores in an unusual environment.

Though the bulk of Esther’s attention was taken up by Severin. She didn’t imagine it would be hard to get him to speak, but the professor verged on the territory of giving a lecture, even as he walked around a glowing, possibly volatile magical crystal. This was the level of confidence she expected from such an individual, and wasn’t at all surprised that it was happening. But that was something to return to thinking about shortly, as Esther used his dramatic pause to answer him rather than allow his silence to dominate the conversation.

"You know, I don’t think I ever gave magic’s presence much thought. Like the air we breathe, I’ve just sort of taken its presence for granted."

The old adage goes that X and Y are two sides of the same coin, and you can’t have one without the other, but Esther had found that you can have one without the other, having its opposite just makes it easier to notice. A rich politician is disconnected from the plight of the impoverished because they do not understand that side of life. While magic should have felt alien to Esther, so did this entire world. She had enough questions that she didn’t feel she needed to approach the nuances of how one unseen force worked over another. But the talk of a primordial god did make Esther think of the first person she saw before arriving here. A benevolent god she could hardly remember that beckoned her to make the world a better place than it currently was. Surely this was the creator of everything that Severin sought, but she hesitated to mention him so hastily. Partially because it wasn’t something she could prove, but also partially because she didn’t think it would be a good idea.

"I never thought about it like that, but it makes sense…"

It felt like everyone was avoiding the glowing crystal in the center of the room, and the temptation to inspect it herself was there. But there were enough people in the shack still, and it seemed like Liu was having a bit of a breakdown of sorts. This did not seem in character for the normally reserved skeleton, so it warranted an investigation. She kneeled down beside the skeleton.

"Are you alright, dear?"

She wasn’t even sure if spores could affect something without a nervous system, but it was worth noting their presence if they were there. So again, ribbons of her magic sprung forth, but this time they searched Liu’s body for the hallucinogenic spores.

"Fine," Liu mumbled, his voice sounding distant despite his proximity. He stood up straight and dusted off his person. This mundane dusting did nothing to clear the sap and mud. Some leaves peeled off of his garb but many of them just shifted a centimeter down. That would have to do, "I am fine, thank you for your concern," he replied dryly. Until now, his tone was most always smooth, respectful, and subtle. His response to Esther was firm and forceful, a break from normalcy.

Liu strode into the derelict cabin at last. Dolls leered at him and he watched back with suspicion. Penny's tidying job made him feel better -- since he could easily see if one of them began to move. On his way by her, he patted her shoulder, an emboldening gesture of gratitude. It left some faint streaks of jungle detritus where he patted.

He waited for the doctor to finish his explanation before cautiously reviewing the journal, surveying text scrawled on the open page. He had no heuristic for determining the age of this scrawling. The lunatic did not deign to keep track of the date, so obsessed with the heart and the forest were they. Squirming internally, he swapped suddenly to not looking at the dolls before asking gently, "if this text is related to anything in our reality, it seeks an avatar. I do not believe our illustrious forewoman mentioned anything about missing persons but I cannot assume it doesn't already have something. Or... we are delivering some options in ourselves. Unless it wants a child," he looked around at the group once more, counting once more to ensure they didn't have any bona-fide children -- creatures appear so young anymore, he is beginning to have trouble telling.

"I suppose it is reassuring, at least, that this entity is not cunning enough to fashion an acceptable body for itself. What is this stone, then? If not the source of twisting nature, is this merely a piece of it, or an empty eggshell?" He pondered aloud, walking in a circle around the stone, his eyes flitting nervously between the dolls aligned on the wall, each perched to take his head off, the stone, and the forest outside, expecting some kind of impending encroachment. He hoped faintly that they were not arriving during some kind of gestation period. He hoped that thoroughness and care were not their enemy. This thrum he wasn't sure if they all felt seemed to him to be what one expected of a presence noticing them. Sometimes steady and assured, or ignorant, other times attentive and bearing animus through its leafy envoys. For a moment he considered touching it. Guilty at the recklessness of the thought, he allowed it to perish and stood watch for any of his compatriots to make the same move, and resolved to stop them from doing so, no matter how far above or below him they stood on the social ladder.

Vetreus read the entry of the book with a pensive look, to him it was the ramblings of a fool is what it seemed like. The magic at play here was wild and unruly with an insatiable hunger. However, he couldn’t help but wonder what the Grand Duchy. The pinnacle of magical innovation, would want with a corrupted place like this.

Who are our employers

It was strange, very strange. The heart, it required a new champion, a child is what the fool called it. Vetreus would see Penny come beside him, and begin…cleaning? Vetreus stared at her with a deadpan look, finding her actions wasteful. The foundation of the shack was failing, vines and mold running rampant within the wooden structure. Even the walls itself seemed unsturdy and incapable of defending against the outside elements.

“Your duty is admirable but this is hardly a time for cleaning. If you’re still up for maid duties after this, this little one could use a caretaker after her meals.” Vetreus pointed at his dragon companion, his expression showing a bit of reluctance.

While he read, he kept an open ear out for the conversation between Severin and Esther. It was an interesting one for sure, the man knew his stuff rather well. A sit down conversation with him seemed like an interesting debacle for the future.

Vetreus would close the book and lay it back in its place before moving towards the heart stone. The use of mana in this manner seemed barbaric to the draconian but also oddly riveting, tantalizing to the artisan within. Mana was fluid, only limited by its wielder. His eyes would glow as he appraised the heart stone, attempting to gather more information from the artifact.

“The heart stone reminds me of a mana parasite, in search of the perfect host to satiate its hunger. At the moment, it’s dormant.”

@DoubleChecker@Book @Red Hood @pkken

Penny appreciated the little bit of gratitude even if it meant having to turn her own duster upon herself. Reaching up to give her shoulder a quick once over to get rid of the debris left behind from the jungle that Liu’s pat had left behind. Giving Liu a curt nod of acknowledgement as she went back to her task while listening to the rest of the group's discussion. Turning one of the dolls over in the palm of her hand as she gave it a good look over for any spots she may have missed. She had a thought of giving Esther her back up duster, but she seemed far more interested in chatting with the others and not as interested in cleaning up the place which was a shame. With her extra height she would have been the perfect helper to reach those hard to reach places on the higher shelves. She paused briefly as she turned her head to peer back over her shoulder in response to Vetreus’s comment, her dissatisfied gaze lingering on him for a moment before she turned her attention back to her cleaning.

She did not mind if she had to tend to cleaning after Griselda, instead her greatest disagreement was the fact that as far as she was concerned, there was never a bad time to clean. If there was an opportunity open, nothing was trying to outright kill them and she wasn’t otherwise needed for another task then it was a fine time as any to tidy up an unruly shack. It was a lesson that Vetreus seemed to lack, but that was understandable as he did not have the same code of honor as she did as a maid. If she had more time, she would really like to go at it and make the shack as prim and proper as the day it was built and reclaim it from the encroaching jungle. For now doing what she can would have to suffice for the time being.

Once she finished off the last doll upon the shelf she had been tidying up. She turned to face the center of the room and everyone gathered about the glowing crystal in the center of the room. Giving a shrug of her shoulders she stepped forward with duster in hand figuring she might as well give it a good cleaning since she had taken care of a good bit of the dolls already. Plus it was the center piece of the room and if that was clean it would help bring a little bit of extra cleanliness to this run down place. It wasn’t like anyone else was going to do anything about it and it didn’t seem like giving it a good dust would hurt anything.

[If you are interested in joining a setting like this, check out: roleplayerguild.com/topics/196759-ise…]

@DoubleChecker - Severin Vaust Asset Goal: Grand Duchy Nobility F
@Book - Liu Fei Asset Goal: ?
@pkken - Vetreus Draedora Asset Goal: Harvester Asset Mine F
@Red Hood - Esther Keaten Asset Goal: ?
@Nakushita - Penny "Iron Maiden of Pax" Asset Goal: ?



The clearing remains deceptively quiet, the only movement being the rhythmic pulsing of the golden Heartstone from within the shack.
Inside, the atmosphere is thick with dust and academic discourse. Severin, holding one of the heavy wooden dolls, launches into a lecture directed at Esther, questioning the very nature of mana and its universal presence across all races. He uses her harp as a specific example, his interest in it both scholarly and pointed. He theorizes about a primordial god, a single source for all magic, weaving a narrative that connects the disparate fields of arcana and religion.

Esther, meanwhile, grows more suspicious of the strange behavior. Kneeling beside the distressed Fei Liu, she strums her harp, casting a diagnostic spell. Ribbons of music envelop the skeleton, searching for the influence of the hallucinogenic spores she appraised earlier. The result is immediate and clear: [No Spores Detected]. Liu's distress is not the result of any external chemical agent; its source is purely psychological.

Vetreus, having finished with the hermit's journal, turns his attention to the main attraction. He approaches the central table, his eyes glowing yellow as he focuses his Appraisal on the pulsing crystal. A torrent of information floods his mind:



At that exact moment, Penny, having meticulously cleaned and arranged the dolls on the shelves, decides the centerpiece of the room cannot be neglected. With her feather duster held high, she steps forward with the noble intention of giving the dusty, pulsating Heartstone a thorough cleaning.

As the feathers of her duster make contact with the crystal's surface, the artifact reacts.

The gentle, rhythmic golden pulse instantly ceases. For a single, heart-stopping moment, the shack is plunged into absolute darkness. Then, with a sound like shattering glass, the Heartstone erupts in a blinding flash of golden light. A wave of pure, chaotic life energy explodes outward from the table.

Vetreus, standing near the table, is thrown backward by the sheer force of the blast, slamming into the far wall of the shack.
Liu, who had been cautiously circling the stone, is caught in the explosion. The raw life energy, antithetical to his undead nature, scours his form. He is violently thrown against the shelves, shattering the neatly arranged wooden dolls into splinters.
Penny, at ground zero, is engulfed in the light and vanishes from sight.
Severin and Esther, near the doorway, are knocked off their feet and pushed out of the shack into the clearing.

The dilapidated shack groans, its wooden frame splintering under the strain. The roof collapses inward with a deafening crash, sending up a massive plume of dust, spores, and golden motes of light.

When the light fades and the dust begins to settle, the shack is a pile of rubble. The Heartstone is gone. Penny is gone. And from the wreckage, a new sound emerges, overriding the forest's heartbeat: the high-pitched, terrified wail of a human child.

---

For Penny



The world dissolves into a blinding, silent whiteness. There is no sensation of movement, no feeling of being thrown, just an instantaneous and total immersion in pure, golden light. The feather duster in your hand disintegrates into motes of dust.
The sensation lasts for what feels like both an eternity and no time at all.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, it ends.

You are standing on soft, damp earth. The air is warm, humid, and smells richly of loam, moss, and blooming flowers—a stark contrast to the scent of rot and decay from before. The oppressive, rhythmic thrumming of the forest is gone. Instead, the air is filled with a gentle, melodic humming, a sound that feels ancient and deeply peaceful.

You are in a vast, subterranean cavern. The "sky" above is a ceiling of glittering rock, from which hang thick, pale roots that pulse with the same soft, golden light as the Heartstone. They form a luminous canopy, bathing the entire cavern in a gentle, day-like glow.

The cavern floor is a lush, impossible garden. Strange, beautiful flowers that glow with their own internal light grow in abundance. A shallow, crystal-clear stream meanders through the mossy ground. In the center of the cavern, the source of the light and the humming is clear: a colossal, perfectly formed version of the Heartstone, easily the size of the entire shack, beats with a slow, steady, and powerful golden light. This is not a fragment; it feels like the true heart.

You are not alone.

Standing before the great Heartstone is a figure. It appears to be a woman, tall and graceful, formed entirely from woven roots and luminous moss. Her face is serene and featureless, save for two points of soft golden light where her eyes would be. She is holding a small, crudely carved wooden doll in her hands, identical to the ones from the shack.

She turns her head slowly, her golden eyes fixing on you. She doesn't speak, but a voice echoes directly in your mind—a voice that is ancient, feminine, and sounds like the rustling of a thousand leaves.

<...A new child... You are not the one I called, but you are clean. You appreciate order. You will do...>

She takes a step toward you, her movements silent and fluid.

<...The Heart is lonely. It needs a Voice. Will you sing its song?...>

Liu's world became white hot. Where his body collided with the wall, much like the time he probed the forest from its mouth, his entire body came apart, phalanges rebounding from the wood and landing in another corner entirely, clattering across the ground like spilled marbles. His forearm bones flew out of his sleeves and ricocheted against the adjacent wall, spinning before bouncing off the ground and bouncing near the table. His leg bones jerked his pant leg and folded it in half, the cloth collapsing, and his shirt became a misshapen lump of fabric with the ends of ribs pushing bumps into its surface. Even his skull bounced off the back wall and rolled under the table while his jaw was left behind half way, spinning for a moment before coming to a silent rest like the rest of his members.

His vision was set to white, he could hear nothing but the sound of several tones -- melodic each but combined into chaos in his soul. His entire body was wreathed in a profound feeling, indistinguishable between hot and cold, dull enough that it could not be called pain but nothing else could be felt, and for the first time in a very long time, he could smell. It was the smell of green-leaf volatiles; it smelled like a grass field cleared for agriculture or a wheat field being harvested. He could only recline in the feeling. In the initial moment he had no clue if it was lessening but he could tell by the gradual dimming, the rapid fading of the smell, and the decline of the noise that in moments he would be back on line, but for now all is white and sound.

Actions:
1. Convalesce

Esther remained crouched down beside the sulking skeleton, even when he stood up to his full height. He confirmed that he was fine, twice, before entering the shack.

"I see. You’re welcome.”

But she didn’t see.

She had confirmed that there was something off about Severin and Liu, and that it didn’t have anything to do with the spores. But that was the extent of her search. Given that Severin was back to his old self and Liu seemed agitated, she could only speculate as to what happened. Liu had to have been rattled by something, and maybe Severin as well. But then why did Severin recover so much faster? Furthermore, what was it about him that made her, the students at the luminary, and even a cat tremble in their boots? Too many questions, and it was starting to overshadow the mission.

Ester approached the doorway and looked inside. She really didn’t feel like everyone had to be in there, which was one of the reasons why she had kept her distance. But also, the anomaly being a crystal was less interesting to her. She was unsure if it was the source they were looking for, as it didn’t look like a wounded entity to her.. Though that changed when Liu and Vitreous examined it closer. The way they spoke about it was like it was some living creature.

"So this is it, then? We’ve found it? Then I imagine our scrying devices are collecting information on it as we speak.” The parental figure in her started to speak up. "Whatever you do, don’t touch it! If that thing corrupted the forest, who knows what will happen if-”

Esther cut herself off as the featherduster closed the distance. It was too late to do anything.

Her only recourse was to fly backwards, and not by the power of her weak yet beautiful wings. No, it was a magical cataclysm that sent her flying.

She was one of the lucky ones. A field of corrupted grass and soil was far softer to tumble across than being shoved into a shelf full of wooden dolls.

The barrier had long dissipated, so Esther had to deal with the rough landing herself. She bounced once, then landed on her side and skidded through some mud. She had just enough time to watch Severin fall beside her. Her eyes shifted back to the shack.

"Well that’s not good!” Esther’s joints were sore, but urgency wouldn’t let her remain still. She tucked her harp under her arm and offered a hand to Severin. If he needed a hand, she’d offer it. If he dropped his cane, she’d pick it up and hand it to him. As suspicious as he was, nothing he did had been malicious. That, and there was no guarantee that the danger had passed. His expertise might prove useful in such a situation. "Come on! Let’s find the others.”

Unless Severin was willing to move at a decent pace, Esther was fully committed to fast walking him over to the collapsed shack. "Is that Liu’s torso? Liu? Liu, Zelda!?” She didn’t have the time to slow her thoughts and say his name correctly.

Esther rose her harp and strummed. A crackle, like an ice cube breaking apart in warm water, filled the area. Since Esther had good luck using her magic to detect the presence of spores inside people, maybe she could apply the same logic and find her allies that were hiding inside the shack’s rubble. It would also be beneficial to appraise Severin and see if he was under the effect of anything, but that was a far, far distant objective compared to locating everyone else and parts of everyone else. Liu was a skeleton, so it was possible he just needed to be snapped together. Unless…

She hoped for the best, prepared for the worst, and started moving debris.

The draconians brows furrowed as he studied the runes flooding into his mind. A primordial artifact in a shed was uncanny. It seemed to be dormant thankfully but he was worried what might happen should it awaken with the cohort so close.

“The crystal is merely a fragment of something much more sinister.” He relayed to the others. His voice carried a sour tone, uneasy at the possibility of something much more sinister within the labyrinth. Primordial powers are nothing to play with and are far beyond the scope of power that any of them possessed.

“It’s a wash…” he muttered under his breath. The trip, all of it was for nothing. Unless he wanted to turn her into a zombie host of a monstrous terror. Griselda noticed her partner tense up, swinging her head around to face him.

“It’s going to be okay? Right?” The dragon broke her silence, her eyes pouting

Vetreus' mouth opened to respond but before he could speak a word. Penny came over, placing her feather duster on the heart stone.

“NO—“
Before he could stop the maid, the shack is placed into darkness. Then, he was bathed in light. Instinctively, the draconian went to shield his companion before being launched into the wall of the shack, his body hitting the rotten wood with a loud crash.

Slightly dazed, Vetreus could hear the creaking of the wood as the shack began to shudder. He could feel the unsteady foundation breaking underneath his feet before the hut came toppling down on top of him.

Instinctively, the draconian shot his hand out shield Griselda from the debris, making for a small pocket of relief for the dragon.

“Go!” He growled deeply like a beast. Griselda would falter for a moment before nodding and attempting to escape from the debris. Underneath the rubble, he could feel the spores infiltrating his body and attempting to multiply. The urge to cough was strong but that would only mean more spores entering his lungs so he held his breath and mustered as much strength as he could.

@DoubleChecker@Book @Red Hood @pkken

Well that had been unexpected, all she had wanted to do was brighten up the place a little bit. But now she found herself somewhere unfamiliar and separate from the others in a new and unknown location. Glancing down towards her hand to where her mighty feather duster had been moments before she couldn’t help but to show her disappointment at the loss of one of her favorite feather dusters. It hadn’t been easy to get either, it wasn’t every day you came across a high quality one and she had to hunt this one down and it was gone just like that.

She couldn’t dwell on it for too long as her attention turned to her current surroundings. Finding it unusually pristine and beautiful like a picturesque scene from a nature painting. Not only that, the crystal that she had tried to dust moments before seemed to have grown. But her eyes are drawn to a figure standing before the great Heartstone as she notices the wooden doll in the hands of the faceless woman.

The soft golden light for eyes reminded her of someone else, yet she did not know who or why. A frown slowly spread across her face as the figure approached, her own eyes fixed on the golden ones that watched her so closely. Hearing her voice fill her mind was an odd sensation. Taking a quick glance behind her to make sure she couldn’t be addressing anyone else but Penny. The woman had one thing right, Penny was definitely not the right person for this particular job. Penny had only ever worried about honing her cleaning skills first and her fighting skills second. She had little to no experience when it came to singing. It was obvious that the figure must have been expecting Esther if that was what she was wanting from her.

Worse yet was she didn’t even know what song she was talking about which made the matter even more of a challenge. Where was that giant of a woman Esther when she needed her talents the most. Letting out a small sigh she gave a bow of her head “I’m not quite sure how I may accomplish what you have asked Madam, I do not know what song you wish to be sung and I do not have any talent in that particular field so I must apologize for my lack of help”

​

Titles
[Monster], [Undead], [Monster - Mundane], [Monster - Evolved], [Necromancer] - [#2d7d38]
Noteworthy Perks: [Evolved] - gain the title evolved. Something about your physiology or aura identifies to others you are of a higher species than your peers. Gain a +1 to social exchanges with others of your racial tree.
[Menace] - An aura of fear emanates from the creature at all times that makes lower grade creatures take a -1 effectiveness on attacks against monster or monster allies.

Noteworthy Perks: Resilient C (28) [Aging/Fatigue and Exhaustion/Suffocation/Surprised]

Asset Goal: Duchy Nobility F

Severin’s eyes narrowed as soon as the feather duster touched the crystal, the thrumming instantly ceasing. His gloved hand began to rise, but it was too late even for him. The powerful wave hit him, colliding against his body fully, hurtling him backwards towards the clearing.

For an instant, while in midair, a section of his visage, traced on his face like a diagonal scar flickered, the pale, bony self revealed under the guise. Yet, as soon as his back hit against the earthy ground with a hefty thud, nothing seemed amiss. His mind was already reeling with the possibilities of what had just taken place meant.

However, before a single more complex thought could be formed about it, Esther was already calling for him to get up. And he did so, he extended his gloved hand towards her own, fingers wrapping around her palm. Up, he quickly accepted the cane, before she started to drag him towards the now ruined shack. “Slow down, child!” He said, as he pretended difficulty and keeping up with her, cane skewering the ground below with each hurried step.

His eyes locked on the torso exposed, looking at the ribs, spine and other bits close to it. Severin then used his cane to move them around slightly, letting out a curious hum. “It must be Liu’s: too clean, no fat, muscle or blood present on these pieces. That explosion, whatever it was, didn’t seem to be the type to vaporize flesh and tissue from bone.”

Concluding so, he pointed the globular end of his cane towards the debris. “Stand back for a moment.” He cleared his throat and narrowed his hazel eyes. “Teleport!” He said, targeting every single piece of debris he can see and trying to teleport it away from the shack and into the clearing behind him.

Actions:
1 - Teleport! - Magic E + Magic AoE F (15ft radius on each target) + Magic Range F (30ft of range) + Teleport E (teleport range up to 100ft from the origin) + Magic Targets F (up to 5 different targets) + Selective F (Targeting only de debris) + Energized E - Grade E 0 Post Cooldown

[If you are interested in joining a setting like this, check out: roleplayerguild.com/topics/196759-ise…]

@DoubleChecker - Severin Vaust Asset Goal: Grand Duchy Nobility F
@Book - Liu Fei Asset Goal: ?
@pkken - Vetreus Draedora Asset Goal: Harvester Asset Mine F
@Red Hood - Esther Keaten Asset Goal: Fae See Church F
@Nakushita - Penny "Iron Maiden of Pax" Asset Goal: ?



The world erupts in a cataclysm of golden light and splintering wood.

The force of the explosion blasts Severin and Esther out of the doorway, sending them tumbling into the muddy clearing. Almost immediately, they recover and rush back toward the devastation. The shack is gone, reduced to a smoking mound of splintered planks, collapsed roofing, and tangled vines. Protruding from the debris is the haunting sight of a clean, white ribcage and spine.

Esther strums her harp, and a wave of searching magic washes over the rubble. Her senses are flooded with information: Vetreus is pinned deep within the wreckage, while Liu's bones are scattered throughout the entire debris field. Glowing runes, visible only to her, materialize on the rubble above her allies' locations.

As Esther begins to dig, Severin points his cane at the wreckage and utters a command. With a series of sharp, contained implosions, large sections of debris vanish, reappearing in a heap in the clearing a hundred feet away. The spell clears a significant portion of the rubble, revealing Vetreus on one knee, shielding himself from the last of the falling dust. A few feet away, Griselda wriggles free from a pocket of space he had created, shaken but unharmed.

The teleportation also reveals the full extent of Liu's state: he is completely disassembled, his bones strewn across the footprint of the former shack like a macabre puzzle.

From the center of the wreckage, where the Heartstone once sat, a new sound cuts through the air—the high-pitched, terrified wail of a human child.

---

For Penny



You bow your head, apologizing for your lack of musical talent and your uncertainty about the song she speaks of. The entity then clarifies its intent.

<...The song is not of the voice, but of the soul. It is the song of growth and rot. The song of life and death. The song the Heart sings to the forest...>

She extends her free hand toward you. It is not a threatening gesture, but an invitation.

<...You do not need to know the melody. You only need to be the instrument. The Heart chose you. It saw your desire for order in the chaos. It wishes to share its purpose. Will you accept? Will you become its Voice?>

As she speaks, the great Heartstone behind her pulses a little brighter. The small wooden doll in her other hand seems to turn its head slightly, its blank, carved face now looking directly at you.

The expression “too much information” usually refers to when someone is told more information then they needed. But the rapid fire details that were flashing across Esther’s mind was a different problem that could be summed up the same way. Rapid fire details about every fragment of debris in her surroundings was not especially helpful. Fortunately, Severin had a spell that was a bit more useful, and moved all of the debris off to the side. Esther’s eyes flicked across everything, from Liu’s scattered parts to Vetreus and Griselda’s positions. The latter two appeared to be okay, but Liu’s condition seemed to be a bit troubling. He was shattered like humpty dumpty and, much like his white counterpart, was unsure if he could be put back together again. There were so many bones, and left and right were hardly distinguishable from one another. She took his head and placed it on his shoulders, just to see if anything would happen.

But Esther didn’t get much further than that when she, and everyone else, heard the sound of a child yelling. Or was it a baby?

"Did the crystal regress her age?”

Everyone was accounted for aside from their mute companion. Regardless if this was some sort of transmutation or a new child just spontaneously appeared here, it was no place for them. Provided there really was a child and this wasn’t some sort of auditory hallucination, Ester was going to find them.

Eventually the light faded and the room developed again from blank, sheer white. Feet were visible from his view underneath the table. He would be unable to describe the 'muscles' he flexed, but his bits rocked back and forth, little phalanges rolling awkwardly then skipping and bouncing. A grunting noise emanated from his skull as it rocked, a little at first, and then further, and he worked his jaw to roll and begin skipping toward his torso. The occult force gently coaxing his bits back into place took this head-start and the relatively heavy skull slid and jostled across the uneven wood floor's ashen grain. A fibula cartwheeled into a pant leg, a disassembled hand spilled onto the ground by his rejoined wrist and that wrist pulled across the ground to yank a fully formed hand into place. Without further sound, most of Liu assembled, torso propped up by hands. One of his pant legs was trapped between his shin bones and the knee-cap and thigh bone.

Abashedly he propped himself up and began pulling the bottom hem of the pant leg toward the knee so he could free it and let it rest normally and silently kicked himself for letting that feather duster contact the gem. He looked for people touching it, not their things. Perhaps it was a matter of intention, or some other factor he had not the faculty to think of. In any case, he got no satisfaction from suggesting that they were delivering themselves as sacrifices, as vessels. He wondered faintly what would have happened to him, had he touched it. Perhaps all of the faint ambitions he sought in this realm would have been realized. Perhaps this thing would supplant him and his mind would be swallowed in its desperate clawing verdancy. The irony of his position alone demanded he consider the mean between the two, a worse torture than either. Contemplating this and more, he responded mindlessly to Esther, "surely if it were capable of doing that, we would already be loam. It must be something else..." and contemplated some more, but kept the idea that it moved her body forward into a state of infancy somehow, within the confines of his own mind, a nubile thought born of sudden unwanted ego death.