Altered Tundra

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

“Right..” Jaakuna narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Nadeline. He didn’t doubt the severity of the situation, but he took note to how he was the only one who could bring Savayna out of whatever state she was in. Easier said than done.

He took in a deep breath as to find a calm center that wouldn’t interfere with what he was about to. He knew he would have to remain absolutely calm and if he were to lose just an inch of his concentration, it could have disastrous effects for anyone within a quarter mile. That might not even cover a tenth of the Royal Palace but there was a lot of people still in residence. In that amount of space, all of them could probably die if Jaakuna didn’t handle this with care. So, once more, Jaakuna had to check out and Jackson took the reigns.

Jackson approached Savayna cautiously, holding his arms up as to not be perceived as a threat. The last thing he wanted her to do was to think he was going to hurt her. As Jackson got closer to her, he saw the look of absolute terror in her eyes. It was like that time he had touched Wesley yesterday and he saw something. Could that be the same thing happening here? Jackson couldn’t know for sure, but that was the look he most likely had. Of course, Jackson had more control over his emotions(as strange as it sounds), so maybe that was why he didn’t burst into flames yesterday. Still…

“Savayna, you alright over there.” Jackson spoke softly. He was a mere five paces away from her. Not close enough to do anything but just close enough so that she would see and hear him.

Savayna, though her entire body was laced and practically covered in a layer of ice, she could hear and see Jackson. It was as if the sight of him brought her out of it somewhat for the shell around her thinned out a bit. Now, it was just a thin layer of ice magicks and her eyes went from being solidified orbs of ice and were just the color of fresh winter snow. “Jaakuna..what’s happening?” she asked, finally aware of her surroundings.

“You tell me. First thing I heard was you screaming. Mind telling me what brought such fright to you?” He asked, closing one pace.

“I..saw something, I think. I..don't know, all of it is still hazy.” Savayna tried to remember but it was like a raging blizzard in her mind. Like zero visibility.

“Saw something, huh? Was it a person? Maybe an object? Try to remember.” Jackson did his best to remain calm, all the while closing two more paces. Almost there.

She looked to him just briefly, seeing the warmness in his eyes--like a fire barely lit in a campsite. It was there and comforting. “I...was remembering back in Archadia. I was...fighting someone. I think I was, at least. And then--”

Suddenly, as she gripped her head, Savayna felt the pain come back again. The blizzard was now a series of ice darts stabbing in her mind over and over and over again, refusing to let her see anything past that.

It was in that moment that Jaakuna--yes Jaakuna--took reigns and took a large step forward. That was the first action. The second would be to take Savayna in his arms and surround them in a healing fire aura. It was the same fire that he used to heal Emiri back when she still was under Zodiark’s control. This time, however, was less intense and focused on Savayna.

As he kept her in his embrace, Savayna did all that she could to decrease the temperature of her mist field but Jaakuna’s opposing mist canceled it out. And after a while, his fire would bring her emotions down to a neutral calmness. Eventually, her eyes returned to their icy blue shade and her complexion was back to how it was. Though, as she felt the comforting heat from Jaakuna, she found herself returning his embrace as she wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. As she did, she smiled, letting out a sound of relief as everything went back to normal for her.

“You’re safe, Savayna. You’re okay now. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“Thank you.”

In that moment, Savayna smiled unaware what it might do and what ripples it would cause.

---

“All true,” Zodiark simply stated.

He wouldn’t bore her with beating around the bush. It was beneath even him to treat her with that much disrespect. Besides, as she pointed out, she could easily wipe him out while he was down in this Holy Realm. His power might’ve come a long way since he was released from his prison due to Jackson’s great deed, but with all of the holy magicks swirling around, even he had his limits. The only way he could come meet Shion was to occupy a vessel for a short time.

He let out a laugh, admiring Shion’s directness. “I will not bore you with the details, but my reason coming here is justified, Blue Rose,” he said, walking past her as he would simply gaze at where they were. “You know, long ago the Occuria carved this from their very souls and used their ancient magicks to solidify it. I believe this is what eventually the Humes called Nethicite. Amazing inventions that caused disastrous effects. Giruvegan was the first. Nabudis came next.” Zodiark continued, his hands behind his back, “I have observed them for centuries. I observed when the fallen queen Ashelia and her companions ventured here. I continued to observe as more sought out The Great Crystal’s secrets. Years passed and Humes continued to show greed where respect for the unknown should have remained.”

Zodiark turned around. “Blue Rose, many things are at my disposal. I am able to create matter out of nothing. I can give life back to those who have fallen. I am able to do many things and my talents keep growing, yet I am not able to understand these Humes nor their quest for power no matter the cost.” Zodiark’s voice actually hinted at a genuine yearning to understand. “Answer me why--why does your kind continue to seek their own destruction? Even when they have acquired the aid of my brothers and sisters, they still seek more. It’s as if these Humes will never be satisfied until they have all the power in the world.” Zodiark looked at Shion with an earnest expression--well, using Michel’s face--but the voice of genuine confusion was of the authoritative Zodiark, though one could confuse his curiosity to that of a simple child trying to find their way in the world and understand all of the wonders of the said world.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Jaakuna thought he did a good job at keeping his real feelings about what might’ve been happening with Savayna a secret. He should’ve known that, of all people, Emiri would be able to see what’s behind the mask that he put on. She obviously caught that he was worried and wanted to see what was happening. Still, he couldn’t help but feel as though him leaving would, yet again, be him abandoning her. He wouldn’t do that--not after last time.

“I get that, but after last time, I can’t leave you...” Jaakuna stated, though he would hear her say that while she couldn’t do anything, Jaakuna could. And then it hit him. She wasn’t going to hold it against him for leaving. Even more so, this wasn’t the Emiri who was feeling low about herself. This was the Emiri who loved him and their friends. “Fine, but the moment you need anything, I’ll come--just send me a signal.” Jaakuna told her. He would give her a tight hug and a kiss before ran towards the door, exiting it, and going towards the continued screams he heard off in the distance.

---

Savayna’s breathing had increased in the exact moment Grant’s mist had surrounded her, doubtless his attempt to try and ease the torment she was going through. But whatever it was--whatever had even caused this in her--it was rejecting GRant’s aid. At the moment he would try to ease her pain, Savayna’s mist, though not intentional, sent a counteractive pulse of mist that sent him back about five paces. Her own mist acted simultaneously, surrounding her in a skin-thick layer of ice, appearing as though it was a shell of some kind. Whatever was happening with her, one thing was certain: it had to be contained should the castle want to remain in tact.

And as that happened, Jaakuna would arrive on the scene. His eyes were widened as he noticed Savayna’s layer of ice mist. “What’s happening to her?” Jaakuna asked frantically, glancing at Grant and Nadeline for answers.

---

Zodiark simply observed Shion’s movements as she would speak. “Typical humes like you can’t possibly understand a perfect being like me, so of course you would assume that I am jesting. Even you should understand the predicament I am in, Blue Rose,” Zodiark simply would gesture to his surroundings. “I may be able to slip in and out of the Great Crystal as I please, but it hinders me from doing anything else,” Zodiark stated with that startling admission. “And yes, I understand by telling you this it puts me at a great disadvantage. I hope that, by me sharing this information with you, it might open the floor of an earnest conversation.”

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Minutes passed and the images in her head would only get more and more intense for her. Each time she thought they would go away, she tried to stand up, hoping that it might be all over. But moving one inch proved to be an impossible task. Just that one inch of movement felt like a ton of pressure was being forced upon her shoulders and inside her head, making her legs weak and causing her to fall to the ground. This pain--this excruciating pain--had came out of nowhere, mounting itself in her core and caused her to cry out in such an ear-shattering shriek that icy mist ran amok.

She heard the voices of those she knew, but it didn’t bring her out of it. If anything, the images that she saw cranked up the torment inside her mind by a few levels. As a result, her already unstable mist surrounded her and threatened to swallow those nearby into its cold hands. Not even a spell like Shell and Protect could keep them safe for long. All the while, those images of fighting...something and as if her mind was gone in those visions pestered her to the point where not even Mateus’ pleas reached her.

When her eyes fell upon those nearby, ice danced in them. Nearly white like snow and solid. Each inch she made was like the sound of shattering ice and now she laid eyes upon Nadeline and Grant, their movements that of worry and concern. Or at least Nadeline’s was.

“Make...it stop..” Savayna said lowly, viewing the forms of Grant and Nadeline. Only brief periods between the immense pain she was going through allowed her to speak.

---

Jaakuna found himself feeling conflicted about what he wanted to do. There was a part of him that really did want to follow Nadeline's lead and find out what happened, but on the other hand, Emiri needed him by her side. After what happened in the last forty-eight hours, he couldn't abandon her when she needed him most. No, he would stay by her side. And when he looked towards her, he put his hand on hers, giving her an assuring smile. She did seem worried, so Jaakuna would reassure her that everything would be fine. "I'm not going anywhere." He told her, though deep in his heart, he wanted to go and check out Savayna. But, he wouldn't' say that to her--not when she needed him most.

---

“Centuries ago the Occuria ruled this city. FOr a while, before the inception of man, they were the only ones who existed. They flourished in their holy realm. No records exist as to how many of the Occuria were present or why they decided to close the gates and let the once divine city of Giruvegan to rot away and be subject to unimaginable beasts and be the center of the thickest of mist fields--even thicker than what resides in Nabudis.”

“There are legends that say the Great Crystal was forged in the image of the Occuria. It was said that they created it to emulate what they felt was perfection. The Crystal--the Great Crystal that hovers above the ruins of Giruvegan--it is said it is a living, breathing Nethicite. And within it are treasures and power that only the bravest of hunters seek out but do not dare go into in fear of what they might find. It is where The High Seraph herself was imprisoned due to her treachery to the gods. “

Out of the shadows, where a blue-haired maiden sat, poised and ready for whatever came her way, a being appeared before her. His form was young and his skin flawless. He had long, dark green hair and eyes that twinkled and reflected what the Great Crystal showed: gold and green, ruby and sapphire, indigo and burnt orange--all of those colors danced in his eyes. When he appeared before her in the multicolored light, it was not the form she had expected. This form, though young, would be familiar to her. The eyes, the clothes he wore, the weapons he brandished--all were of someone she would know well.

“Admittedly, my true form could not penetrate the barrier that surrounded The Great City. A pity since this is where I, like my sister, was sealed. So, you’ll forgive me if I had to borrow a vessel. I figured you’d welcome it though.” The voice that was layered would return to its recognizable voice. The voice that belonged to the vessel. “Is this what you wish me to use, Shion?” He said, using Michelangelo Sicarius’ voice. It was elegant and intelligent. Michelangelo knew how to speak clearly and make it seem non-antagonistic. “Or maybe you much prefer my ordinary voice? Please, do tell me, Blue Rose. I wouldn’t want you to think I’m here to fight you.” And so he would reveal his true voice--Zodiark’s authoritative, borderline-tyrannical, commanding voice finally revealed itself.

Let's B!tch. I feel it's a healthy release for our roleplay annoyances 2.0

<Snipped quote by Lady Amalthea>
I imagine people who do this are like those people whose life is a total mess and who think having a baby will solve it.

@Lalliman

Oh, I see that you know my sister. Do tell me how she's doing.

Tundra's Testing Tales

---

It's about time I make one of these, I suppose. Keep posted for various thread formats and other coding experiments.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

It was a new experience for Savayna to get the cold shoulder. She was usually the one to apply it, though Grant did seem uncharacteristically silent. There wasn’t even so much as an acknowledgement of her question. Instead, when Reia came into room, he chose to speak to her instead. She would let him talk to her, though she was a little hurt that he wouldn’t even give her a simple answer. Hell, he didn’t have to speak. A simple-fucking nod would’ve sufficed, but apparently he woke up extra grumpy this morning.

Before she would make the decision to take the high road, she quietly stomped on Grant’s foot so hard she might’ve heard something crack and stood up. She nodded to everyone butb Grant. She shot him a glare before taking her plate and bringing it to one of the kitchen staff waiting at the other end of the Grand Hall that led to the kitchen. There was a cart where it had other dirty dishes. She placed it on it and left, heading back to her room.

---

“I’ve been wondering the same thing, actually,” Jaakuna admitted, his eyes on Emiri.

It was definitely strange that she would act this way from a fever and one that seemed to arrive out of nowhere. He couldn’t hide his curious mind when he thought intensely about her condition and what might’ve caused it. The obvious choice was possibly an allergic reaction to something in the garden. There was also the possibility of something biting her. Who knows what crawled in that garden? Beautiful as it may be, it was foreign in every possible way, so to Jaakuna, it most certainly seemed plausible that something wicked resided in that garden. Foreign soil meant foreign danger. Though, that thought soon went away as JAakuna would remember that it was the Royal Garden. Obviously it wasn’t going to be dangerous, not if the official gardener had anything to say about it.

So he was back to square one regarding that thought, however, Jaakuna would hear Nadeline come in acting as if she was a nurse. WEll, not all false for she was a skilled healer. More so now that she had Ultima’s Seal unlocked. As Jaakuna watched her act rather...expressively towards Nadeline and then to him, he only smiled as to not alert her to his true thoughts. He did, however, notice her difficulty to bring about any sort of healing spell. He saw her try a few more times and nothing happened.

“You alright over there, Nadeline?” As he spoke, Jaakuna heard something. It sounded like a scream. Not just any scream, but that of someone he definitely knew. “What was that!?”

---

After storming off, Savayna hadn’t known where she ended up. She just started to walk, going wherever seemed quietest. She must’ve passed the same wall at least three times because she recognized a portrait of Wesley with his entire family. He was younger, though not by much. Only about five years so. He didn’t seem as poised as he was now and Cassandra didn’t seem as bitchy as she was now. Though, the portrait showed Sylvester to be an interesting person. He appeared to be very much like how Wesley looked, if not a little more...troubled. It was hard to grasp, but in just that one portrait--a portrait that was meant to show the picture perfect family--she saw that Sylvester had something on his mind. She didn’t know what, but it picked at her brain to find out more. But was it her place to do so? Where would she even begin?

Continuing down this thought pattern, Savayna found herself at the balcony, not even realizing that she yet again turned a corner.

“]Well at least it’s quiet here.” She let out a sigh, leaning against the balcony itself and looking at her view. From where she was in the castle, she saw the Giza Plains. Unluckily for her, it seemed it was Rainy Season. Though it provided a nice contrast for the deserts that surrounded it, she did find it stuck out like sore thumb. While everything was beige and hot, the Giza Plains were green and lush--like the fields in Archadia. Not to mention there was a refreshing breeze coming from the south. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make her feel at home.

And yet, the breeze only reminded her of Grant and how he was abnormally cold towards her. She didn’t understand why. Had she done something to upset him? Maybe Cassandra’s bitchiness was contagious and he was embodying that through his usual moody mannerisms. Or maybe her was back to being the Grant she knew before she fell for him. She honestly didn’t know and running them past Mateus wasn’t helping her either. He shrugged at every single one of them, offering no help whatsoever.

Savayna let out a sigh once more. She decided to just head back. Though, as she turned, she felt an intense pain through her temples, gripping it tightly. It caused her to go to her knee due to the intensity of it. And in that moment, she saw...flashes--flashes of her raging on about something. She heard someone’s voice call out to her and then she saw something chilly and blue as ice rage towards something of a darker shade of blue, though not as cold. She saw a burst of ice consume scattered petals of some blue flowers.

As it went black and Savayna blinked, in her periphery, cold winds whispered and the sound of shattering ice ringed in her ear as she closed her hands. The wind soon faded but the shattering sound still remained, ever-present and causing her to fall to both knees, gripping both sides of her head with both hands. The next thing was so earth-shattering that everyone would hear it: a roaring in ear-deafening octaves, a shriek being heard through the shallow halls and reaching those in the Grand Hall.

The Elder Scrolls: Swords & Septims

@Altered Tundra – Kalthar, as Hank put it, feels somewhat disjointed, and this begins in his appearance. It sometimes repeats info and sometimes contradicts himself (an example, as petty as it might be, is his eye color – to my knowledge cerulean blue is much lighter than sapphire blue).

His personality similarly repeats itself and in some places I feel does not make much sense, especially when compared with his biography (his father is described as an honorable man – yet a heavily and violently abusive father and husband). Perhaps it is because we have different conceptions of honor but to me it feels self-contradictory.

The biography suffers from this flaw as well in my opinion. I like the somewhat saga-like manner in which his father and mother met, yet the fact that Kalthar’s mother was a hardened warrior who had defeated his father makes the fact that the man often abused him during marriage baseless. One would expect some sort of reaction from a woman; surely a pact has not devolved her to a shrinking violet. And the biggest flaw is, unless I’ve misread things, that one of timeline. The RP takes place in 4E 202, as the OOC post says, one year after the appearance of the Dragonborn. Yet somehow Kalthar leaves the Companions with the Dragonborn’s appearance and wanders Skyrim for ten years over the course of one year. Kalthar would require extensive reworking to have my approval and with the character limit, he loses my vote.

Peic

I am thankful for both yours and @Hank's criticisms. Trust me when I say they do not fall on deaf ears. When the second round of recruiting comes around, I will present a much better and cohesive sheet for you two. It is, as they say, if at first you do not succeed, try and try again.

The Elder Scrolls: Swords & Septims

7. Kalthar Tarrowhand, @Altered Tundra
I appreciate the amount of effort that went into this character sheet. You were quite descriptive, covered all the important events of Kalthar's life (which is a little excessive in its grimness and tragedy, perhaps), chose a sensible skillset, remained modest with the equipment and many of the elements that make Lord Vensor an interesting character are also a part of Kalthar's personality and history... but it still felt off. Your writing style comes across as a little disjointed. The personality section (for example) restates some facts about his character at least twice, like how he's blunt and speaks his mind, and it isn't apparent why he's a bit of a cunt precisely. His father is described as both honorable and a child-beating asshole in the same sheet and I'm not sure if Kalthar looked up to his father or despised him. The latter seems to be the case with Kalthar leaving him to die and fleeing, which I thought was a great twist, but it doesn't have a believable impact on his character as outlined in the sheet. You describe his motivations as 'vague', which I agree with, but that's not a good thing. As a player and a GM I should be able to divine what is that Kalthar wants out of life, but I don't feel like it's apparent now. When it came down to Vensor and Tarrowhand in the category "prickly guy with heavy armor" we leaned towards the former. He has many of the same characteristics as Kalthar but the execution and the motivation for the flaws are just a bit better. If you straighten these issues out and create a bigger correlation between his history and his personality, Kalthar has the potential to be a very interesting and polarizing character.
PS. Why would General Tullius recognize a lowly soldier?

@Hank

I just wanted to say that I appreciate you giving me some solid advice. There were a few things that I wasn't made aware of before you pointed them out, so I know, going forward, it'll help me present a better sheet.

Also, in hindsight, I guess I could have made a general who was less up the ranks. I didn't think much of it at the time, so maybe that's why it didn't appear as "odd" to me before.

The Elder Scrolls: Swords & Septims

@Applo I can't be the only one bothered by the buff wrestlers acting as if it's the motherfucking Royal Rumble and they got a shot at the title at WrestleMania.

The Elder Scrolls: Swords & Septims