DELETED jdl3932

Myriad Reality

You kill someone every week and within a year, no one is left =P

@Dynamics

Good, things finally have an end as they should I say. Love the roleplay, but I am firmly of the mind that every story must end no matter how loved or well written.

The Black Prophecy (Dead now; requiescat in pace!)

Ernald Joyce

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_{The Five Mile Walk
Early Spring of the Year 315 P.F.}

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Joyce let out a sigh of pure relief as he trudged over the final hill in the path, his tongue parched both from the time it had taken him to traverse the last three miles of his journey and his inquiring of the old hermit several hours prior. In all honesty he hadn't expected the trip to be this arduous, but the smoldering midday sun had other plans it seemed. Untying a small skin from the loop of his breeches, he brought the opening to his lips for a quick swig before putting it away again and soldiering on. It wouldn't be too long now in any case, just a few more minutes and a few more steps. He could handle that much at the very least. He'd handled every other place he'd visited thus far after all, and some of those locales were even more godforsaken than this one. Readjusting his satchel so the papers housed within didn't come tumbling out, Ernald carried on down the rest of the path, reaching his destination just as the sun fled from its apex in the sky...

And Exalted above what a squalid sight it was.

He'd expected a certain amount of grunginess and grit to be fair, these were mining towns after all and thus not prone to flights of overly fancy or even sound architecture of the style found within the cities beyond, but the sight currently unraveling before his eyes was just pitiful. And that was putting it nicely. Had it not been for the occasional wheelbarrow being pushed across the street or the soft grumbling of dirt-stained men as they returned from the depths of the mine with ore filled sacks in tow, Joyce would have thought the town completely abandoned. The shock of it all was enough to give him pause, making him wonder if the legends surrounding the Maw really were true. He had entertained them whilst talking to the hermit to be sure, but other than that he'd chalked the whole thing up to silly superstition on behalf of the locals, as whatever evils there had been in the world were driven away or destroyed by the Exalted long ago. But now... well now he was starting to take the rumors a bit more seriously. Even the sky itself had changed, morphing from its former orangish-blue to a deep and depressing grey in a matter of seconds, and that wasn't even taking into account the atmosphere permeating the town itself. Something he could only describe as unnaturally tense and cold. So tense in fact, that it felt as though one could simply reach out and part the air with nothing more than a rusty knife, assuming the blade didn't freeze over and shatter first that is.

Doing his best to suppress a shiver, Ernald continued on his way, attracting fleeting yet suspicious glances from those he passed. Ignoring them for the time being he continued to wander about the rundown looking town, his eyes combing the area for someone-anyone-who could help him find his way, be that to the leader of the settlement itself or its scribe. He did not need to wander long, however, for he soon found himself standing before the townhall. A rather sizeable looking building that radiated warmth, light, and noise, most of which arose from a large crowd of men and women who had gathered just outside the entrance. Curious, he drifted closer.

"Well!?" a man somewhere off to Ernald's left bellowed. "Will the old bastard live!?"

A broad-shouldered man clad in a brown tunic and mud splattered pants strode out of the hall, pinching the bridge of his nose with an exhausted sigh, he shook his head.

"Wihtric is dead," he muttered, his words breaking the silence that had settled over the crowd like a hammer smashing through glass. "The cave-in turned his legs to pulp. Best thing for him now is a proper burial."

"I'll see to his last rites," another voice from within the crowd, a woman's this time, said. "It's the least I can do."

The man nodded, his expression softening ever so slightly as his gaze met hers.

"Thank you Saethryd."

He shifted his attention back to the crowd.

"Now please, return to your homes. There'll be no more work done till the morrow. Take this time to rest and mourn if need be. Until then, Maw's closed."

Whispers rose alongside sobs, from members of the dead man's family Ernald presumed, as the crowd slowly dispersed. Leaving Joyce to fiddle with the strap of his satchel as the woman moved up the stairs, past the man, and into the hall.

"You've picked a bad time to visit Oldcross stranger."

The man stalked down the steps, his face shadowed and grim.

"May I ask what manner of business brings a well dressed fellow such as yourself to our little hamlet?"

"Business of an academic kind I'm afraid," Ernald said, offering his hand. "My name is Ernald Joyce, I'm a scholar from the city of Marleon. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"Theodgar," he replied, taking the scholar's hand and giving it a firm shake. "And can't say that I have."

"Ah well it's not relevant to why I'm here in any case."

He tugged at his collar ever so slightly.

"You see I'm writing a treatise on the various mining settlements dotted across Outremer, which I intend on publishing once I return. I wish to paint the nobility a picture of what it's like to live in such a place, how important such towns are, what manner of struggles they face, things like that."

Theodgar smiled, though it did not reach his eyes.

"Ah, good. Maybe then they'll stop spilling each others blood long enough for accidents like that," he said, jerking his thumb toward Withric's bandaged corpse as it was being carried out of the hall and down the stairs. "To stop happening."

Ernald fell silent as a procession headed by the woman from earlier made its way down the street and round a corner, vanishing from sight. Grunting, Theodgar clapped a calloused hand against Ernald's back, shepherding him along as they walked along the town's muddied streets.

"Now," Theodgar said, scratching his chin with his free hand. "I suppose you'll be needing a place to stay?"

Ernald nodded, "Yes, only long enough to find out more about this place of course."

"Of course," Theodgar remarked before coming to a halt. Hand still clasped on Joyce's shoulder, Theo pulled him in closer and lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear. "Just be careful bout who you ask specifically, hear? People don't take too kindly to outsiders poking their noses where they feel they don't belong, especially not with all that's been happening around here."

Ernald raised an eyebrow but otherwise kept silent. Although he wanted to know more he decided that now was not the best time to start prying. The town had just suffered a loss after all, and presumably much more given what Theodgar had implied. Instead he merely nodded as they carried on, eventually coming to a small yet modest shack. Stepping inside, Joyce briefly examined the walls, ceiling, and accommodations before apparently deeming them suitable. Setting his satchel on a ramshackle table off to the left side of his bed, Ernald settled himself on the edge of the threadbare mattress.

"Well," Theodgar began, spreading his arms in a gesture that encompassed the entire room. "What do you think? It's not exactly fit for a lord but..."

"But it'll do. Just see to it I'm not disturbed won't you? I tend to write in the evenings and I need to remain as focused as possible."

Theodgar clasped his hands behind his back and gave Enrald a small bow.

"Anything else?"

"The Maw..."

Joyce locked gazes with the larger man.

"I want to see it. I think a detailed examination would do wonders for my work."

Theodgar's expression fell.

"I'm tempted to deny your request outright milord," he began, his tone falling dangerously low. "What with the grimness of today. But it would be rude of me to deny someone who has traveled so far, so I'll see what I can arrange."

"Thank you."

With a final nod Theodgar exited the room, leaving Joyce completely alone.

Massaging the back of his neck, Ernald sprawled out on the bed and closed his eyes, electing to get all the rest he could for the time being. His inquiries could wait till tomorrow at the very least. For now he simply allowed himself to fall into the inky depths of slumber...

The Guild Inn & Tavern (Adventurers Always Welcome/Re-Open For Business)

As an aside the Hoods never traveled worlds, their order was disbanded and the only "Hoods" left were the PCs of the Rebirth roleplay, all of which except Vitius got time traveled to the future thanks to the necromancer Samael because we wanted to play around in a more modern setting after the stagnation of the first roleplay.

So why, even if the guy is a meta reference for some reason, Harlund would think they could have even been heard of in other worlds I have no idea.

The Guild Inn & Tavern (Adventurers Always Welcome/Re-Open For Business)

"How could you have possibly heard of them then? They didn't travel worlds last I checked," he said, shaking his head slightly while shooting the man a questioning stare. "And no, but I'm not one to divulge my entire life's story to someone I just met, so you'll have to just trust me when I say I am here but do not know where here is."

Vitius fell silent, staring into the flame a while before speaking once again.

"You said there were ruins to the south? Those might be worth investigating then."

@Blackmist16

World of Light

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Level: 1 (0/10)
Word Count: 321
Location: Dead Zone - Library Root
EXP: N/A

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Sephiroth blinked as the skull disappeared from sight, the tinniest wisps of darkness the only indication anything had ever been there. Tilting his head to the side slightly, he pondered the matter for a bit, but found himself unable to arrive at any concrete conclusions other than the fact that someone or something must have spirited the thing away. Twas a shame that was too. He had been looking forward to seeing what manner of despair the girl's hubris could have brought about before that dream had been swiftly crushed. Still his investigations had not been entirely in vain. Now he knew the leanings of those around him at the very least. They were most certainly a heroic bunch if one of their own had been so willing to sacrifice themselves, not to mention tightly-knit given their reactions. Two weaknesses that could prove invaluable in any future interactions he might have, at least as far as manipulation was concerned. His observations had also taught him a bit more about the skull itself. The object did carry some manner of corruptive power it seemed, all of which appeared to be contingent on a wish, the success or failure of which was apparently determined by desires hidden deep within the supplicants heart.

In other words, make a wish that was pure and everything turned out fine. Make one that wasn't though, and you got possessed. The only problem with that premise was that no one was pure. Everyone had a hidden motive or selfish desire, well everyone except him that is. Such was simply the lot of lesser beings after all. Still, it was quite the simple yet devious little artifact, one that almost brought a smile to his lips with just how cunning its functions really were.

"Self-sacrifice. Truly the greatest folly a person can have..."

He lifted his gaze to look upon them all.

"You would be wise to abandon it."

The Guild Inn & Tavern (Adventurers Always Welcome/Re-Open For Business)

Why are we still on Tenebris? I kind of wanted, you know, a completely foreign place to explore, not just a new continent on a world I've already played in extensively.

World of Light

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Level: 1 (0/10)
Word Count: 345
Location: Dead Zone - Library Root
EXP: N/A

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The former SOLDIER made his way down the uneven path in a graceful yet determined manner, the tail of his coat fluttering out behind him as he went. About a minute of walking later and he was there, standing before the group with his arms crossed as he surveyed the site of their scuffle, his eyes raking over each of the group's members in slow succession. First among them was an oddly feminine machine, one whose function he couldn't ascertain, at least not for the time being anyway.

Alongside her-or it rather-were a handful of similarly strange creatures, the most noticeable of which was a large draconic beast that had seemingly been crossed with a turtle, or had ancestors that were at some point down the line. Aside from them the only other individuals of note were a rather ordinary looking man hammering away on some smaller machines, his garb reminiscent of that worn by those blue collared grunts who'd built the mako reactors for Shinra, and a white haired woman clad in a weathered old jacket. One that was stained a deep, almost bloodlike, red. Shifting his gaze once more, Sephiroth's eyes came to rest on the flaming heart-shaped skull floating a few feet above the center of the platform on which they were all stood, a skull that was currently being berated by the dragon-turtle from earlier.

Stepping forward, he strode past the other members of the oddly mixed group to approach the Skull Heart from the dragon-turtle's left. It was quite the odd looking thing to be sure, and completely unlike anything he'd seen on Gaia, but other than that it only seemed to carry the appearance of power. All bark and no bite, at least as far as a cursory examination revealed anyway.

"Curious..."

He circled around to the other side of the skull, coming face to face with the much larger and far more imposing Bowser, though he did not look at him. Not immediately anyway, his focus still very much fixed on the floating skull itself.

"Very curious indeed."

@Archmage MC, @Dawnrider, and @DracoLunaris

World of Light

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Level: 1 (0/10)
Word Count: 297
Location: Dead Zone - Library Root Outskirts
EXP: N/A.

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Sephiroth brushed away the light dusting of ash that had gathered on his pauldron, watching the broken and devastated landscape unfurling before him with narrowed eyes. He had been loitering nearby for the last three weeks, having ventured here in the first place to find more things to kill in order to regain some measure of his former strength, and so far things had been going very well for him in that regard. There were plenty of enemies that had crawled their way out of the woodwork to assault him, though they were hardly a challenge as far as combat was concerned. Still what little fight they did put forth provided him with a welcome distraction from the uniform bleakness of the surrounding land. Of course a desire for combat was not the only thing that had brought him here. In truth the real reason he had ventured into the accursed depths of the Dead Zone was to figure out what had caused the library root to collapse.

He had heard the tower fall long before ever laying eyes on it, only managing to catch the last moments of its incredibly destructive end. Despite this, the tower's collapse had made things much plainer in his mind. There were other competent beings here, or at least beings who had risen above the beastly mannerisms put on display by the rabble he had spent so much of his time exterminating. Beings that could, if he pushed them just right, prove themselves to be of great use to him.

If they were not... well they would simply be removed, as all obstacles in his path inevitably were.

Flicking a stray strand of hair from his eyes, Sephiroth strode into the ruined valley below, a smirk etched across his immaculate face...

World of Light

<Snipped quote by ZAVAZggg>

No Frog (My Character) owns the Chrono Trigger adaptation of Masamune.

@Blackmist16

Ah, I thought you meant how he could technically pull multiple 8 foot katanas out of his ass at his full power level. Completely forgot the fact Frog does indeed have the same kind of blade.

World of Light

@ZAVAZggg TWO MASAMUNE? jk

@Blackmist16

nah, more just how he can make it appear and disappear at will, and how he carries it given the lack of a sheath and its incredible length.

Though again, I assume it was some lifestream shtick that let him do this, so how this all works with its yeeting I don't know yet.