Crumbs

Moonscratch Chronicle; Cycle One

<Snipped quote by Crumbs>

...yay, IC is up! I'm working on my post right now. :)!

@potatochipgolem

I'm looking forward to it. ^^

Moonscratch Chronicle; Cycle One

Oh, awesome. I didn't expect any Druids out of this crop! Gnara's grace upon you~ (I've actually wanted to say that for a little while, but hadn't had a chance)

Moonscratch Chronicle; Cycle One

<Snipped quote by Crumbs>

Aren't we still waiting on a few other people to make/finish their characters?

@rush99999

I didn't really plan on it. If you have a character up, you can post. If you don't want to, that's fine.

Edit: That's not to say I mind waiting, mind you.

Moonscratch Chronicle; Cycle One

<Snipped quote by Crumbs>

Does that mean we're allowed to post too?

@rush99999

Yeah, go for it. We're pretty much good to start, I think. ^^

Moonscratch Chronicle; Cycle One

"Of course, Councilor, I would be honored," Crosos Granz's voice was a grating echo, but somehow a smoky utterance. While he spoke to Councilor Serpera, the Golem's lone eye was directed out a window. "The Enlistment is thriving this year," he said, casting a lingering gaze in the Ewori's direction, "and I'm sure the Lunar Festival will be just as vibrant." Serpera shifted and turned her head only slightly, uncertain as to exactly where the Golem was staring.

"We thought it would be appropriate for you to handle the ceremony, given that..." flat, and without the seemingly regular "we of the Vaunted Council", cogs began turning somewhere in the Golem's surprisingly sturdy head. He lifted a hand to silence her, his heart had already sank with the news. She did not oblige him, but gave him a look of understanding that the Golem could only interpret as genuinely sympathetic before beginning. "We...thought that she might resist less if it were to be you." She, a different she.

"What of the others," there was a slight amusement in him, despite the avoidance of the real question behind his twisted lips, "who I am to execute? Should not a kinder face send them to Stieg's embrace?" His laugh was always hollow-sounding, but today the feeling of it lingered with the low chuckle. Serpera tapped her fingers on the table, once each, trying her best to remain composed. Granz knew her better than most, and was prepared for what would follow.

"By all the Gods and their damned faces, Crosos! 'This is an honor' you say in one moment, then try to spit on in the next," where her voice had been flat, now a rising anger tinted her words...though they were not so fiery as what Granz had hoped for; nor had the Councilor begun to redden about the face. He sighed, audibly, and nodded. The room seemed to still a bit more, the Golem's resignation setting in.

"You know I can't spit, Serpera," he said with feigned consternation, and offered a lopsided grin, "She's finally chosen to give it up, eh?" They still had not come to speak her name. Not out loud, anyway. She was Elise, The Silver Glint; and, as Crosos had come to know...one of the heroes who sundered Kanys.

"...Yes. We are still debating what to do with it-" The Ewori Councilor considered something behind almost-closed eyes.

"That wasn't what I meant. I meant her, I meant Elise. She's finally giving up..." It took him a moment to rise, the chair groaning as he stood, perhaps thankful to be free of his weight, but for Crosos Granz it was one of the most mercurial motions made in his existence. "By the damned faces, indeed..." He looked down on her, with pity. Somehow, it had fallen to the Vaunted Council. That could not be a safe thing. The Golem battled biting his metaphorical tongue for a moment and turned, again, towards the window of the Councilor's chambers...or, more accurately, toward the streets of Vaald; toward the sun. "This can not come to pass."

Despite what he expected, Serpera gave him a smile that was both begrudging and approving. "Exactly, Crosos," she livened with talk of conspiracy, and Granz approved to see more of the girl he knew in the Councilor she wore, "I want you to make sure that it gets out of Vaald, one way or another, whether you walk it out or put it in someone else's hands...I don't care."

"Must it be me?" Another hollow sigh and more resignation creeping in, along with acceptance. He knew well that it would be best delivered in his hands.

"Is there anyone else who could?" As did she, apparently.

"Hundreds who-" Serpera shook her head, lightly, somehow silencing the Golem.

"Perhaps, but I have not come to trust them as I have Crosos Granz. You're less easily swayed than others when it comes to matters of great importance."

He let silence and his cyclopean gaze linger over her for a long time. It was not that he had to contemplate whether or not he would comply with her request; that had been decided before Serpera had asked him here, it was that he had no idea how to get a piece of Kanys' mask out of the city. He already had an idea on how he was going to acquire it...but...the part that would come thereafter was quite hazy.

"I am also a fair deal harder to kill."

- - - -

Far from the bustle of things that she wouldn't-quite-understand, Isyph Al-Delad lingered...soaking in her low-spirits. She had produced her lute, a moment before; a song boiling in her heart. Yet, when she hoisted it and began to strum, all of the enthusiasm had been drained from her. Despondency wrapped its self around her throat and drove her to silence. Instead of a song, she produced a harrumph and slid away from the crowds; still cradling her lute.

It was in this surprisingly deep melancholy, and a relatively underpopulated Vaaldian side-alley off the main nexus of the Enlistment Square, that she now marinated, as she often had before albeit not in such an unfamiliar place. Faces, etched into her mind, and the names of several Guilds begin to flutter by; various grunts of disapproval and some barking laughter. Apparently, not everyone could get into a Guild.

"Not everyone is 'worth the trouble', and some people look 'like they'd be slain by an errant breeze'," she grumbled into herself, lifting her knees to her chin and wrapping her arms around them...lightly picking at the strings of the lute, despite herself, giving an unwitting canter to her bitter mumbling, "Some people 'couldn't swing a sword without losing their arms', and others, well, others 'couldn't cause a bit o' harm'." Isyph was starting to grin, allowing her fingers to flow without restriction and her words to gain the volume she suddenly felt they deserved. "There are people who 'look a little sick', or, perhaps, 'built like a stick'. There are people who 'can't sing in tune', and ones who are 'probably cursed by the Moon...'"

She trailed off and looked down the alley, which was a narrow stretch of gray; punctuated by the forms of a few others, some of which had turned to glance at her...after she had momentarily stopped. Being unable to resist she stood, gave a wave and tipped her cowl; bending slightly at the waist to offer the slightest bow, still strumming the simple melody she'd come naturally to.

"'Scratch'," she let the notes trail off and silence settle in for just a moment, before beginning again, "and there are those who have to 'force a rhyme' or 'couldn't rob a blind old woman blind'! There are some people who 'might be able to serve mead to get their fill' and some people that 'won't be able to find a Guild in Aedrasil'!~" The lute felt alive in her hands and her hands seemed to have a mind of their own, wrestling the animate instrument with surprising elegance. Isyph Al-Delad felt that she had just produced one of the better performances in her life, and had found a refrain. The faces, the thought of being dismissed at every turn...while still fresh, were now less painful. Now, they were inspiration. "Those who 'would be dead in a week', those who 'ought to leave, before this turns bleak'," the Uquii stumbled for a line, momentary embarrassment settling in. Then it came to her.

"There are some of us who," she resumed with a particular bravado, "are just wasting time, that'll probably never find a Guild in Aedrasil!"

She exhaled and let her fingers slow, the song trailing into nothingness; a light smile on her face. It was nice, despite all the hardship...and all of her failure, to have a way to release some of the negativity. Even if she were still without a place within Vaald, the night had not yet fallen...and there was always the Lunar Festival to look forward to.

Moonscratch Chronicle; Cycle One

A-OK~! All questions I have for now are answered most satisfactorily, thank you!

As to liking my character concept, thank you as well! I suppose I'll get to working on the fun part(s) of character creation, now. I'll probably take a few liberties with the lore, but the bits I'm unsure of for power reasons I'll make sure to ask about.

Maybe I can hop in on this multiple character business, too. I can think of a few ways an Ewori Battlemage and a Llangeli weapons developer would know each other; and by that, I mean be entirely at odds with one another.

@Komamisa

No problem, on both accounts~ ^^

I'm looking forward to seeing your characters.

Edit: I got inspired and wrote up an In-Character intro. If it displeases anyone, let me know. I'll look around for errors and stuff after I eat.

Second Edit: Fixed some errors.

Third Edit: Changed some wording, here and there.

Crumbs and Others.

Thankye, sir. Received and responded to!

Moonscratch Chronicle; Cycle One

(Relatively) Disorganized Questions Time! I may update this as I think of more, and sorry for the huge barrage of them.

Relating to Aedrasil Natives:

How tall are Ewori and how large/small can their wings get? Further than that, how long do they live on average and how fast do their bodies develop? In comparison to a human being, how physically strong are they? Being magical beings, do they even age as humans do? As relatives of succubi, I'd imagine they "collect" from other creatures in order to reproduce, if you catch my drift; is that how it works? In other words, do Ewori children have people they can refer to as a father?

@Komamisa

I'm gonna break up this stuff into quotes, so I can answer it a little bit at a time. I just woke up, so if I'm somewhat imprecise in the articulation of these answers, forgive me. The Ewori would only (on average) be a little bit taller than a human; with wings that could be either large or small. (the Ewori of old all had grand wings, so maybe having big wings is something of a status symbol) I would label them as 'about the same' as a human, on average, but the lineage of an Ewori could have an effect on something like that. Yeah, they do, surprisingly; they weren't manufactured (originally) to have very long lives, usually serving Ragar (the Mad) for about twenty years before expiration. I would say, now, that an Ewori's average lifespan would be seventy to eighty years.

Yeah, most some Ewori children would know their father. The Ewori tend to have voracious appetites, but no so much so as their ancestors; assuming someone can 'keep up' I don't see them deviating from standard Aedrasilian courting practices or even marriage.

As Ashtus is said to exist within all mortal creatures, would the energy that drives magic be referred to as Ashtus as well, or the more common "mana/manna"? On the topic of magic, how capable would be a single magician at replicating natural disasters, and does healing magic exist?

@Komamisa

Some call it Ashtus, some call it 'essence', 'energy', or 'mana'. Depends on who you talk to. A single (average, but capable) mage would be hard pressed to command a natural disaster and would most likely deplete their own soul attempting to conjure such a thing. They'd make it happen, probably; but it wouldn't be any fun for anyone. Yeah, healing magic is a thing.

Besides the Vaunted Council, is there an order of knights or anything of the sort?

Edit: Do glasses exist in this world?

@Komamisa

Yes and yes.

Crosos Granz is a Knight of Delad (albeit one recently removed from the service of the Vaunted Council) and several Guilds within Delad would label themselves as 'Knightly Orders'. Some of them may even be recognized by the Vaunted Council and expected to respond to their calls.

(I like glasses...I guess...so...yeah...)

What happens should one continuously win against their Perso- I mean Moonscratched Doppelganger?

@Komamisa

Haaaaa! They get to to it again, next full moon. That's what. Right now (though this is something I aim to change, once we get a ways into the story) the Moonscratch can only grow progressively worse. That's not to imply that the shadow-self becomes stronger (though this can happen) or even, really, that the Moonscratch will deepen within its host...it's just that it won't end.

Relating to the Llangeli and their deserters:

If the Llangeli have matter assemblers/disassemblers, I find it safe to assume they can arrange carbon molecules and various other elements to create some spectacularly strong materials. Just how powerful is their armor and is that level of armor protection achievable through magic or some form exotic material found in Aedrasil?

Do the Llangeli prefer kinetic weaponry or energy weaponry, or are they one of those space melee types of people? Do they use combat walkers/exosuits, conventional vehicles, or prefer powersuits/infantry? I can imagine if their armor is as strong as it theoretically can be, ranged weaponry wouldn't be so feasible anymore and they'd prefer close combat. On the topic of damage that can be done, how's their medicine for physical (non-magical) afflictions?

Do Llangeli absolutely require their environmental suits when outside of their establishments? My current idea is for a weapons researcher/designer with a bit of medical knowledge to be playing herself off as a sort of "witch in the woods". Though I don't mind giving her an underground bunker with a few airlocks/decontamination rooms, as well as a wooden hut at the top with a hologram projector.

If the Llangeli ships are military vessels, would it be safe to say their governing powers at the moment are a type of military junta or dictatorship?

@Komamisa

"They can create some spectacularly durable materials and they often do, but even so it requires a tremendous amount of energy to bond the atoms to form these ultra materials as well. Adding on the fact that some of them don't actually make good armor despite their hardness, etc diamands and nano-woven carbon are not malleable or tensile to fulfil all motile parts of say, a suit. Pure carbon is also a semi-conductor, so on parts where electricity is required they would have to use an insulative and probably frailer material in place of carbon. So while their materials may be better and the walls to their bases seem nigh impenetrable, they have to make a balance between functionality and durability in many places. It is also the reason why they are harnessing the natives' magic for fuel, energy is integral to the continuation of their society." (quoted from @potatochipgolem who was kind enough to give their input on this section. Thanks~)

There's a fair mix of kinetic and energy based weaponry within the Llangeli Armada. Frames (what we're calling mechs, these days, I suppose) are fairly commonly employed and have a diverse range of forms and functions (and paint jobs). Conventional vehicles would also exist. I would say that they're fairly adept at dealing with non-magical afflictions, as a whole.

"The suits. (once again quoted from @potatochipgolem)

They are required to prevent contamination, Aedrasilian atmosphere contains something that adversely affects them. K, is an example of someone who failed to abide the proper preventive measures and was directly exposed for a substantial period of time before. Living outside a controlled environment is hazardous and until they can solve what's causing this, they have to wear them almost constantly.

(I thought it might be tied to Lunar radiation, as Kanys cursed the moon. The moon though visible at night, is there throughout the day. So their protection against lunar background emissions are what determines if a place is safe to take off their suits or not.)"

Also, yes about the power structure. It's pretty much a dictatorship, at this point. Highest rank, highest power. (not that it's terribly dissimilar from the usual way things would operate)

Yep. So, there's that. I like your character concept, by the way. I'm interested to see what you're going to produce~

If I've fucked up anywhere along the way and didn't properly clarify something, let me know. To be honest, though, a lot of things I am leaving up to the player; or outright vague. Some things, to me, are just more fun to toy with in the dark. (Until the time comes that it's a hugely relevant thing...then we'll deal with it)

Edit; Added quotations marks to clarify.

Crumbs and Others.

Yeah, we can take a crack at it. ^^

Moonscratch Chronicle; Cycle One

Pretty well, but my eyes are starting to get incredibly dry. How about you? ^^