STATUS:
I think I'm Advanced+ level and could do that. But under Adv, I feel compelled to write a certain way and it makes writing feel more like a chore even if it's just in my head. Thus, I prefer Casual
2 yrs ago
Current
I think I'm Advanced+ level and could do that. But under Adv, I feel compelled to write a certain way and it makes writing feel more like a chore even if it's just in my head. Thus, I prefer Casual
2 yrs ago
Many people equate "Advanced" to "Big, high effort posts with lots of flowery language." It's a habitual thought I struggle to shake as an RPer with 20+ years of writing experience. It's very draining
Shieldwing heard the jokes of his companions, and quickly scrambled back to his feet, clearing his throat. Luckily, his crimson scales hid the slight blush on his face rather well. However, it grew a little bit deeper as Garrock came and began to examine him more closely for any potential injuries he may have incurred from the crash-landing. He let out an audible groan, but did not resist the older dragon.
"O-of courese there's no injuries, I knew what I was doing the whole time," Shieldwing claimed, raising his head up high and straightening himself out. He huffed, clearly moderately annoyed as he was checked over like a hatchling, but he wasn't about to argue. "And I can too glide straight. I was just trying to make sure the others didn't need any help, that's all." His claws scratched a bit at the powder beneath them, digging into them a bit as he tensed slightly. He knew that this was just an excuse, and he was already kicking himself for messing up such a simple task. But it was fine. After all, their mission had only just started, right? He had plenty of time to figure out how to make up for this blunder.
He shook himself off once Garrock left him alone, and he was glad for a swift change of subject. He stepped back toward the others, tail swishing about behind him just above the gemstone sand. He turned his attention to the conversation between his companions, and grinned over at Stargaze.
"That's a great idea. Echo is the one who raised you, right? That would make things easy for sure," the red dragon said, stepping over to the newest and youngest member of the clutch. And he quickly spotted a way he might be able to help redeem himself.... Maybe. "Then this is what we should do." As he spoke, he swept his tail across the top of the sand to lightly clear away any shells to reveal a small, smooth spot in the sand. He then began to draw dig a claw into the sand, drawing simple shapes to help facilitate his points.
"We follow Stargaze to Echo's cave. Since they've lived here the whole time, they might be able to point us at anything new or weird. Or maybe at least give us a lead. Stargaze will obviously be at the front to show us the way, and I'll be next to her so I can help her out if something happens on the way." He drew two simple ovals in the sand next to one another. "Fellwing and Skobellof can be in the middle." Once again, two new ovals just beneath the first pair. "They just need to keep an eye on the sides. And then the rear can be Mr. Garrock because he's the biggest, strongest, and that lets him make sure he can see all of us without having to look backward all the time." He drew a circle that was larger than the others behind the two rows. "At the same time, nobody's gonna want to come up on us from behind if the big dragon is in the back."
He then lifted his head with pride at that, seeming proud of himself for coming up with this formation on the spot. His gaze drifted between his clutchmates to gauge their responses, of course, but the one he was most hopeful to have pleased was Garrock. Though he made sure only to side-eye Garrock just in case he needed to quickly avert his gaze at a disapproving or other negative expression.
As I was typing this post up, I just realized that the highest Cunning we have is Shieldwing at 0. So the most observant dragon in the clutch is Shieldwing. It also means the best dragon at misleading and tricking others is also Shieldwing xD
Though now that I think about it, it's kind of strange that the Trickster gets a -1 to Cunning, I would have thought Cunning would have been their 0 stat rather than Courage.
Heheh. I'd like to go ahead and post again, but I think I'll wait for Haruki to say something with Stargaze before that, honestly, if she's got anything to say after all that. xD
Shieldwing had spent much of the trip concentrating on his gliding. It wasn't difficult to figure out that this older dragon that had been assigned to lead his clutch didn't like being in charge of them. Even though this "Garrock" wasn't a member of House Brynback, he knew that this could be an excellent opportunity to get on good terms with an older dragon from another House. Most of the ones he knew grew frustrated with his educational endeavors outside of his very combat-centric mindset. But this one didn't really know him very well. Which meant that if he performed well on this mission, then he could finally start making some progress and start proving himself. He'd have something he could really show off to his superiors in Brynback.
However, he unfortunately got a little excited at the prospect of showing off his abilities when they were taking off. He had put too much into his original jump and glide and had tired himself out faster than the others in the process. On top of that, he had spent much of the flight looking over at Stargaze to make sure she was handling herself alright. After all, she was the smallest of the group and their newest member. He couldn't help but be concerned about what might happen if she would get caught up in a stray wind or something and get blown away. So he had spent extra time and effort to try to get closer to her, so that he could grab her if she needed it. And all of this while also, whenever their guardian was glancing back at them, making sure to maintain the outward appearance of a dragon who was confident and collected, ready to succeed in the mission at hand. After all, he wasn't going to be impressed if he saw the Brynback struggling or squirming awkwardly in the air to shift around.
Because of these needless actions on his part, he felt himself growing tired somewhat quickly even though they were relying largely on the winds between the islands to keep themselves up without too much of a problem. However, when he turned his head to look at the others, nobody else had been showing any signs of the same. That wasn't good. Maybe he was dividing his efforts too much? Or maybe it was all the constant corrections his wings had to make to get him where he wanted to be. But it didn't matter. At this point, it was too late to do anything about it. His wings were growing tired and started to ache...but he maintained a brave face, making sure there was no outward sign that he was struggling.
By the time they were closing in on the other shore, though, Shieldwing was starting to hang back ever so slightly. Finally, the older dragon turns to look back at them, and he focused his attention on him again. Oh, good. They were finally landing. He did his best to hide the relief from showing on his face.
"Of course we can land, don't worry about us, flying is just second nature!" Shieldwing would call back. "We can handle ourselves!"
He had spoken pretty quickly and without consulting the others first, but he was sure it was fine. He didn't recall any real accidents when learning to glide before, so why would it be a problem now? He intentionally shifted his wings to slow himself down; this put a bit more strain on them, but he wanted to make sure that Stargaze was going to be fine. He knew deep down that he should just trust her, but part of him was still concerned anyway, due in no small part to his role as her tutor for how to fight.
However, once Stargaze had landed successfully and even began to cheerfully call out to the group, he smiled to himself. As it turned out, he'd been worried over nothing. Of course she was fine. And so, Shieldwing adjusted his wings once more, redirecting himself so that he could come down at last...only to suddenly realize that he was...falling faster than what he was used to.
"Agh!" he cried out as he quickly raised his limbs, trying to make up for his faster rate of descent by using his stronger legs to brace himself from the impact with the powder shore beneath him. His claws collided roughly with the ground, kicking up a bunch of the powdered crystal "sand" as he practically slammed his body down on top of the shore...only for one of his claws to slip on a shell and caused his body to turn a bit. His momentum, however, did not care about his predicament, and he soon came tumbled a bit across the powdered crystal and finally came to a crashing stop as his chest struck the ground, and his belly fell to the sand a second later with a thud.
"Ugh..." Shieldwing murmured, raising his head. He shook himself, causing shell fragments and crystal sand to fall from his head and get flung aside. Luckily, he'd tucked his wings to keep them from getting injured in the crash; a trick he'd learned from Brynback to avoid wing damage if he got thrown or smacked to the ground in a fight. But he was still somewhat disoriented as he looked up from his spot and soon realized that, directly in front of his face where he'd just come to a stop...was a small creature poking out of a shell, clicking claws raised in the air. He blinked and stared at it for the moment; it was actually kinda cute the way it was snapping at the air like that....
Aaaand now I'm off to a great start. The side of me that is sadistic toward my characters is contemplating whether to have Shieldwing be off to a rough start with a bungled landing now that I know Mr. GrumpyScale is judging them. xD Perhaps I'll just roll to myself or something xP
Oh, although here's an additional question I hadn't considered.
For any Fellowships that ask you to "explain" something, should we wright that out along with the Fellowship, or do we just leave that alone and just fill in the name?
Look: Primarily a vibrant red color, with a pale yellow underbelly from jaw to tip of the tail, same color under the wings. Piercing green eyes with a black iris and red claws. Two white horns on the crown that reach straight backward and one very small one on the tip of his muzzle. Along the back are ridges that extend down to his back but not to the tail.
For a more visual idea of the description, take the body of the first image, and then impose the body features of the second: the horns (though white instead of black), ridges stopping at the tail, underwings matching underbelly)
Stats: Charm: +0 Courage: +2 Cunning: +0
Virtue: Bravery
House & Obligation: Brynbak, the House of Steel: Destroy an unnatural menace born of Darkness.
Moves:
SCALES OF HONOUR: You have dedicated your life to the betterment of dragonkind. Choose one boon: [] A mark of lunar authority; take +1 ongoing to call upon the Moons. [X] A voice that penetrates the Darkness; take +1 ongoing to act despite danger in the face of the Darkness. [X] A lineage that commands respect; take +1 Charm (max +3). [] An heirloom from the War of Shadow; take +1 ongoing to stand up to a superior. [] A large and valuable hoard; take +1 ongoing to give into the Darkness. Mark a Shadow each time you conceal or hide one or more of your boons. When you advance your signature move, mark a new boon. Tell the DM which of your adventures has earned you such an honor.
BATTLE PLAN: When you face an enemy in combat, roll +Courage. On a hit, you can ask the DM questions. Whenever you act on one of the DM’s answers, take +1. On a 10+, ask 2. On a 7–9, ask 1: - Which enemy is most vulnerable to me? - Which enemy is the biggest threat? - What’s my enemy’s true position? - What’s my enemy’s mission or objective? On a miss, they catch you off guard. Take a -1 ongoing until you can assert your dominance or rally your allies.
Advancement:
Rawscale Drake (2 XP): You start with a +0 bonus to calling upon the Moons. [] take another move from your playbook [] take +1 to any stat (maximum of +3) [X] advance your signature move
Winged Drake (0 XP): You still have a +0 bonus to calling upon the Moons. [] take another move from your playbook [] take +1 to any stat (maximum of +3) [] advance your signature move
Longtooth Dragon (0 XP): You now have a +1 bonus to calling upon the Moons. [] take another move from another playbook [] take +1 to any stat (maximum of +3) [] advance your signature move
Bearded Dragon: You now have a +2 bonus to calling upon the Moons. [] take a ritual of your House [] advance your signature move
Elder Dragon: You now have a +3 bonus to calling upon the Moons. [] your house dedicates a stronghold to you [] retire your character, arise as an Ancient or a Mystic
Moons: - Liberty Moon - Spirit Moon - Stone Moon - Storm Moon - Void Moon
Shadow Track:
[] Anger - Lash out at a friend. - Break something valuable - Escalate a delicate situation
[] Doubt - Question a friend’s loyalty - Steal something valuable - Reject a tradition
[] Shame - Blame a friend for your mistakes - Mock or belittle someone vulnerable - Seek isolation or solitude
[] Fear - Hide something from your friends - Avoid a difficult task - Exaggerate the danger of the situation
Shadowself: You are unstoppable, a hurricane whose might will singlehandedly shatter the Darkness. Adulare must be protected and no one else is strong enough to help you. Make sure the clutch knows you are the only one who can save Adulare. You are The Warrior. Return from your Shadowself when a friend convinces you to ask your Clutch for help.
Fellowship: Fellwing has stood by your side in a fight against a monster of the Darkness. Explain how they exemplified your virtue. Give them a Gem.
Fellwing had gone off on her own, wanting to handle a problem she'd foreseen by herself, not wanting to endanger her clutch. She tried to sneak off in the middle of the night, but luckily, I was having trouble sleeping anyway. I followed her and soon heard a loud cry of alarm. I recognized the voice: Fellwing was in trouble! I charged in and immediately jumped between her and this monster of the Darkness...but I quickly came to realize that I was out of my league. It was dark, so I had a difficult time making out anything specific about the creature, but it was large, at least as big as winged drakes, maybe even a Longtooth. But still, I held my ground; if I, the one of us particularly trained for this, was this intimidated, I could only imagine how Fellwing must feel. I knew I had to be strong for her sake. But despite my best efforts, the creature was easily stronger than I. No matter how many times I came at it, it still overpowered me and I couldn't even get in a clean hit.
I called out to Fellwing and told her that I can't handle this thing for long, so she needs to run. But instead, she held her own ground, coming to my aid when I ultimately collapsed from exhaustion and the creature reared back, ready to strike what was sure to be a devastating blow. She took its attention away from me, even though she is less capable in combat than I am. It was the bravest thing I've ever seen her do. Luckily, in the end, we were able to combine our efforts and managed to take it out using our environment to our advantage. But I'll never forget her standing up to a monster even I couldn't defeat.
Stargaze has recently joined your Clutch and you are training them in the art of combat and the importance of self defense. Take a Gem from them.
Fellwing was there when you were most vulnerable. Explain how they helped you and give them a Friendship Gem.
As it turns out, even the strong and the defenders of the weak can have their own bullies. Or perhaps that's only a Brynback thing, where the only thing that matters is you being the best leader that you can be: strong and knowledgeable. But my constant political fumblings drew the ire of another Rawscale from Brynback: a comparative mountain of a dragon named Stonescale. It wasn't so bad at first, him just calling me out for my inability to understand our political structure. But it grew worse over time as I failed to improve and was constantly scolded by my elders for focusing on combat so much. One day, he told me that I was a disgrace to my lineage...or worse yet, that I brought in a white dragon that didn't have a home meant that I had to rely on losers with no home to make a decent clutch to follow me. That got my attention, but he didn't stop at Stargaze. He listed off every other member, insulting them one at a time.
Now that was something I couldn't take. He could insult me all he wanted, but the moment he brought my clutch into it, I wasn't about to let him get away with it. I challenged him to a duel right there and then. He laughed at me; of course the only way response I could have was to try to fight. But he said he would accept on the condition that if I lose, I would admit to my own inferiority. I agreed, because if I did lose, then it was true. After all, fighting was the only thing I was supposedly good at...but if I wasn't even the best at that, then what good was I?
Unfortunately, I jumped the gun. He had been manipulating the entire scene so that he could get one up on me. I was at a stark disadvantage from the start: he was older than me, bigger than me and with scales like a mountain compared to my own. Oh sure, I managed to strike him plenty, but I couldn't so much as knock him over, let alone pin him down. Before long, I wore myself down trying, and he caught me with a nasty tail swipe, and it was all downhill from there. He pinned me in no time. I'd...been beaten. I tried to put it off as much as I could, but Stonescale wouldn't let me up until I finally upheld my end of the bargain...by acknowledging my disgrace and my inferiority as loudly as I could to my surroundings. Pleased, he finally began to leave, though not without an "accidental" extra smack in the face with his tail as he turned away.
I could feel the eyes of all kinds of dragons on me. I could tell that at least some of them were sympathetic, but that only made things worse for me. I shook myself and scurried away as fast as my claws and wings could carry me until I finally found a small corner to call my own, and I laid down, licking my wounds, and finally just...broke down, there and then. I believed myself a failure. How could I even try to lead a clutch when I couldn't even do what I was supposed to be good at? I couldn't protect anybody, I couldn't defend their honor, and to top it all off, I'd been humiliated and shamed in front of an entire crowd. How could I show my face to my clutch after that? I'd only make things worse, giving other dragons more reasons to make fun of them.
However, just as these thoughts were starting to sink in, I had an unexpected guest: Fellwing approached my hiding place, asking if I was okay. I, naturally, answered with the affirmative. I asked her how she found me, and she answered that it was because she'd seen everything. She knew I was going to be there, thanks to a dream of hers, in more than physical pain. So she had kept watch and was there to see the actual fight. Despite my doubts, she reassured me. I was no failure. I fought my hardest for them, and I stood up to somebody I couldn't possibly win against for them. It might have been reckless, especially since the insults they'd thrown weren't even that bad. But if anybody made fun of me, they'd be completely disregarding my bravery and deep desire to protect, and that made them the stupid ones.
Besides...apparently, I had proven that I was clearly the better fighter. He had to rely on tricking me into fighting an impossible battle to get one up on me. If anything, he was the one that should be ashamed of what happened. That got a smile out of me, to be sure. To this day, I'll never forget the day that Fellwing came to me in my time of need. Thanks to her, I was able to face what happened and keep my head held high.
Member
Birdboy
fellsing
rush99999
