Haha

Cacophony Concord

What are we at now, like thirteen-fourteen people? Are we going to rock-paper-scissors for spots?

SPIRITUM

@Yankee@stone@fledermaus@KaiserElectric@Dusty

---

“Lucky the damn thing didn’t land right on top of us.” Sam commented, tracing the smoke trail with his finger. Sam pointed out a few of the parachutes he saw dropping as live ones. Fortunately for them, the Barghest squad was close by, unfortunately for the Barghests, the parachutes seemed to be landing near the heart of the crash. Zak and Ray piped in as well, expressing their own concerns- Ray, the big teddy bear, was as usual worried about others, and Zak expressed his desire to go help as well.

Galahad nodded, ”Well, the gryphon’s gone and it looks like phone services are cut off in the immediate area- if we don’t go help them, I don’t think they’ll make it long enough for any rescue services. Hell, the only other people who saw the crash is probably Sappl Springs, and they don’t exactly look like they have the manpower for a rescue op.”

”That’s why we’re going!” Asa blasted out, her eyes squinting with dismay as she absorbed the sights and wonders along their little adventure. She blew a few raspberries as they trekked through the wasteland, her boots absentmindedly stomping over rocks and gravel as they pressed on.

”Fuck all knows that it’ll be more entertaining than this shit.” Her venomous words seemed aimed at their leader in particular, daggers aimed directly at the poor Galahad.

”How was I supposed to know hunting a gryphon was going to be boring?” Galahad retorted with a snort.

”You’re the straight-laced asskisser! Aren’t you supposed to be playing 4D chess in your head at all times? Unacceptable.”

Galahad rolled his eyes, ”Well, you’re welcome because my 4D Chess game just landed us our first Op before we’ve even hit the front lines.”, Galahad dismissed with a wave of his hand, his sidearm appearing from within the mist. He slid it into its holster on his side. ”Alright squad, gear up and get sober. We’re going on a Rescue Op.

Galahad pointed at Sabina and a few of the othersYou guys head back for the truck, if there are injured, chances are we’re going to need it to move them anywhere. The rest of you, with me.”

---

The Barghest squad arrived at the crash- or one part of the crash anyway- standing upon the lip of a huge crater and staring down upon the crashed leviathan. The wrecked airship had smashed its nose into the ground like a spear from the heavens, scattering across miles of wreckage. A twisted altar composed of flame and warped metal that lit up the night around it in proclamation. The long claw mark of the crashed ship large enough to fit the entirety of Sappl Springs within. Heat from fire and mist radiated from all around them and could be felt from the edge.

”Careful from here on in. The mist here is going crazy.”

Even those that weren’t as magical attuned as Galahad could feel it. An otherworldly and oppressive hum that seemed to encase the entire area and made his hair stand on end. It felt almost as if they were swimming on land, the very air itself was thick and lethargic with unseen heft. Ahead of them small flames burst into roaring pillars of fire as they interacted with the mist. In other small areas pieces of debris remained suspended in air as if gravity itself had turned off. In other still small desert flowers bloomed and died within an instant as time sped up around them. There was an old adage about mist reactors: when they broke, reality had a habit of breaking with them.

Galahad surveyed his surroundings taking in the display of carnage. Pieces of metal lay scattered across the ground like warped and distorted bones. There were other objects as well strewn across like toys after a child was done playing with them. There was half a chair here, the broken head of a statue there, and the remnants of a bed and so on. It all seemed far too ornate for any kind of military involvement reminding Galahad more of the estates in Orestia than anything else.

Then of course there were the bodies.

Galahad remembered the “Jane incident”. They hadn't been at the Citadel for very long- four years at the most. There was this kid Jane, she was another magical type like Galahad. However unlike self-confident Galahad, Jane had doubts. The thing about Mist is it's a fickle bitch and it can sense your apprehension. So one day when they were all practicing Jane had the task of creating a shield out of fire, a basic sort of defense spell. But Jane was scared so the spell turned on her and so did the fire. It was hard to forget the smell of burning hair and flesh, and it was that all too familiar smell that assaulted Galahad’s nose.

Most were charred beyond recognition but some weren't. Galahad knelt down in front of one of the bodies that had been thrown to the lip of the crater, using his foot to turn the man over. A man maybe in his mid-late thirties, dark hair cut in military fashion, stubble across the jaw. It was the burnt remains of his uniform that drew Galahad’s attention the most. It was a uniform that he and the rest of Barghest had been studying for years: A Vangar officer's uniform.

”They’re fuckin’ imperials!” Asa shouted, probably some form of effort to announce this to her comrades. She was probably one of the last ones to notice that detail, however.

It was in her nature to scavenge, in her blood even. Her eyes glanced along some of the nearby bodies, the ones that weren’t blown to smithereens, shuffling through their wardrobe for anything shiny or metal. A mischievous smile was painted from ear to ear and she copped a loose watch, platinum alloy, nice engravings on it too. And then there was a Vangar Imperial Navy Sidearm, nothing like gramps could make, but free is free!

Before she got too far, Galahad stepped in and pulled her back by the shoulders- a bit rougher than expected. ”Mist Spot.” he stated bluntly, that enough of an explanation in and of itself. Asa had gotten perhaps a foot away from melting her face off.

To most, Mist was invisible, and hard to detect, and even those trained in detecting the Mist could find difficulty tracing it in such a Mist-Hot location- such as the crash they were currently in. Some or the larger pockets of Mist were easily recognizable: the floating rubble and intense heat were things that people could easily notice and avoid. The more difficult to spot plumes were the medium strength plumes of Mist. Their energies masked by the intense heat of the crash itself, the Mist spots, while not as deadly as walking face first into a Mist spike, were much more dangerous due to their difficulty to spot and side-effects. Mist burn was an injury commonly experienced by search and rescue crews- and was often their cause of death. Much like radiation, absorbing too much Mist from these invisible plumes would cause nausea and could destroy the body quickly if left untreated.

It also made the use of energy based and ranged spells problematic. A lightning bolt could set off a stray pocket of Mist, and then they'd all be in danger. And since detecting some these Mist pockets were difficult for even dedicated mages, it effectively gimped the range that they could safely fling spells. More of a problem for himself than any of the other members of the team, as no one else was a dedicated spell slinger, at least not in the same vein as himself.

”And don’t loot the fucking corpses. We’re Wardens not conscripts.” He added with an exasperated sigh.

”I wasn’t going to get that close.. but they’re dead, not like they need any of this shit anyway.” Asa pouted before glancing to Galahad and the rest of her team, sifting the watch into her right pocket and popping the clip out of the handgun to see if it were loaded. It was- so she’ll take the small win.

”But if there is a fuckton of mist spots.. which I can now see that there most likely will be. How the fuck are we supposed to do anything?” She quipped, surveying the entire scene with a strained frown upon her face. Even if they were the enemy, it looked rough.

”There’s still a way to the center, just be careful- everyone. Galahad replied as he stared down the crater, mentally marking all the hotspots he could see.

”Alright squad, let’s fan out. Zak, Ray check out the bodies, maybe there’s a survivor somewhere in here. Sam, Bete- security. We’re alone out here, I’d like it to stay that way- make sure we’re clear. Asa, figure out what we’re looking at here- and be careful about it. I’ll be calling out mist spots as I see them, so keep an ear out for me.”

Finally, something worthwhile for the scatterbrained bitch of a Warden to focus on. She beamed a toothy smile to Galahad, quickly forgetting about the previous back and forth between the two. Her right hand flattened and raised diagonally to her opposing shoulder, offering the big-brain a Aporian salute before digging her boot heels deep into the earth below and taking off in a flash.

Cacophony Concord

I want to be a monster tamer.

@Cu Chulainn

I want to tame monster girls*

Cacophony Concord

@71342 Not even close.

I'm more so aiming for some parasitic magic wielder who drains the life essence and spirit out of her enemies and disperses that mojo among her allies. Maybe with some spectral aesthetics and little will-o-wisps that follow her around- maybe that's asking for too much though?

Cacophony Concord

The Canadians will make a guild together and talk about maple syrup brands while clearing content.

Cacophony Concord

@ERode I'm getting the vibe that the starting areas will designate [racial passive] type stuff rather than restricting classes and playstyles- and on the classes topic, since other people have stated their wishes for what direction they wanted to go with that. I was hoping to make a healer that utilized Draining Magic/Debuffs/Condition Damage, with curses and stuff but definitely still a healer. Would something like that be possible- if not I'll cry about it and move on with my life.

Cacophony Concord

Everyone did 1.0 so I will do 2.0

Alys Kaleigh

Age: Twenty-nine years young.
Gender: She's a lady.
Nationality: Welsh
Description: The baby-faced young lady standing before you imposes at the impressive height of five feet and seven inches, a few of those extra inches may be tacked on while wearing boots. Her frame is nothing too impressive with her small noodle arms and bony angular profile. Her complexion is a pasty ivory white- seemingly more exaggerated on her face with the drastically contrasting makeup around her eyes and lips. Eye color was a deep and boring brown, though her eyes are rather big. Her hair is a natural brownish-red cut tight above shoulder length with her bangs cut just below her browline. She definitely seems to own the alternative aesthetic, whether it's genuine or a front however- that's the real question.

Alys lives in Llanfair, and has lived their her whole life. Her father and mother were law school sweethearts that against the odds made it through to the end, and now happily married while running a joint law firm together. Neither of them came from wealthy backgrounds though, grandma and grandpa were both standard blue collar workers. Their accumulated wealth was self-made through numerous won cases and some good luck, now they're driving salaryman cars together and vacationing on private islands every summer. But then there's Alys. School wasn't the issue, she was a smart gal with two very intelligent parents. Maybe she got caught up in the wrong crowd, and a bad interaction with her scene resulted in what she is now. A black sheep in every way- living in the shadow of two successful people. She's nearly thirty years old and what does she have to show for it?

She had always enjoyed multiplayer games. The same friendships could be built without the constrictions, and most certainly without the reputations. As an anonymous, faceless, nameless figure behind the screen she could portray herself as someone unburdened by the expectations of reality. Supportive roles in First-Person Shooters, Healers in RPGs, she wanted to add value to this online persona she invented over the years known as "Calace". There wasn't a following for her or anything- but rumors of a "very eccentric roleplayer" who played a healer did make their rounds on a number of MMOs, and in Cacophony Concord she plans on maintaining that reputation. Maybe you've even heard the rumors of a black-clad lolita who isn't dressed for her role in the slightest?

Cacophony Concord

@ERode what about stats and stuff? Is it going to be handled on your end or is it on the CS?

Cacophony Concord

@ERode can we get some example classes- unless you've got some planned for the the main thread? I'm just asking for some reference in terms of how complex they can be.

Hillhaven : The Fantasy Frontier

Hillhaven Main Road - Outside Hillside Haven Inn
@Searat@Lmpkio@reusablesword

"Cannot believe ye'nt never gone to th' Inn yet. Yer'n the frontier now Ba Ba, time t' start charging hexes for booze 'n such." Cresta blasted out words as her horse steadily galloped closer to the wooden social hub of their little town.

"Ya'notta'needing to be worried'about me- I'm olda'dan most of'tes pink children anyway." The elder shamaness hissed back to the mayor, her sights shifting towards some of the faces outside.

The talk between the two would come to an abrupt halt as they finally reached the post at the Inn's entrance however. Sliding off the side of the noble steed- the mayor would be the first to freeze at the sight of the large humanoid reptile standing beside one of her deputies. Her jaw dropped straight to floor at the strange creature, it wasn't something she had ever seen before in all of her travels. In the back of her head the word "Monster!" echoed for a bit, in all of her years of travel she had never heard of or seen such a creature. It took her breath away, but she wasn't quite sure exactly sure if that surprise was positive or negative yet.

It wasn't until the orc shamaness spoke up that the mayor started to have a clear head. "Ah-da-gwa never'av I seen somtin like that. Whata'ara'ya you'fine creatcha'."

The humongous orc woman slowly stepped up to the creature, ignoring the townsfolk around it and staring with wide glossy brown eyes with a scratch of her furry chin. She inspected the lizardman carefully, the muscular proportions- all the way down to the shape of his head. "Thatta wondaful'skulla'ma have to get me'ona'dem." while Cresta filled her lungs with the clean air before breathing it out. She paced up to the group, removing her hat and offering them a cant of her head before greeting the ones she knew- not the strange lizard creature.

"G'day y'all, Sheriff, Vera. I planned on makin' way round'ere before nightfall 'n spected to have'n few rounds with ya'. But 'm my years I'd never think some'n strange would show'er self in my Town. Maybe a dragon gettin' lost 'long its way. But 'n my years I've never seen som'n like that before." Cresta's words held a stern tone to each drawl of her voice, her eyes weren't quite angry- but she stared through everyone and directly to the new townsfolk that had seemingly invited itself into her town. Her hand absentmindedly drifted to the holster at her right hip, and then she looked to her Sheriff. Her head raised to look over him, clearing her throat before asking as politely as her passive-aggressive self could.

"Care ta' splain this, Sheriff." She stepped up to him, her posture straightening.