Jinxer

The Adamant World

Not my finest piece of work but I wanted to get started.

We are a go!

The Adamant World

Dilei - Vale Craft Guild

"We've got a lot of newcomers this year."

The two of them were working by oil-lamp, all light from outside diminished with the setting of the sun, although there was no telling exactly what time it was. Alexandreus placed the sheaf of papers he had been flicking through onto the table and reached for a cup to his right, meticulously placed on a small saucer not unlike ones used to collect water below potted plants, and raised an eyebrow at his companion. The other lieutenant, leaning precariously back on one leg of her chair with riding boots nonchalantly atop the table to brace her unsafe position, had already abandoned her reading and was instead flicking through one of those penny dreadfuls she'd developed a taste for recently. Absently she hummed in agreement, her mane of white hair spilling down her back and chest in loose curls and stark against her dark skin and mismatched clothes of red and green.

Shaking his head in fond, if frustrated, resignation, Alexandreus sipped at his cup and then returned to his task. Out of the two of them he was the one more suited to this kind of plodding, methodical work. All of the new Mages joining their guild had been assigned rooms but now came the task of forming teams, with supervising members, out of those newcomers that would most likely work well together and that was a painstaking, lengthy task. Mirande's Flare was useful for seeking out other Powder Mages and when their enrolment came about she threw herself into their initiation with all the force of a Rynalemese storm but in this it was perhaps better than she tried not to get involved, it would only make his work harder.

"There ain't that many, Alexie." He looked up to see her patting the papers on the table in front of her although she still seemed to have her nose in that god-awful book. The Mystery of the Blount Exorcisms. Even the title lacked imagination, never mind that many would consider setting an undoubtedly salacious story in the holy city nothing short of blasphemy. Why had the Master given Mirande one of those cursed books? Just because she would like it did not mean it was wise to give her such a mind-rotting distraction. "Just more gooduns. Not like the usual haul of half-hearters that drag themselves in."

He winced, glancing toward the heavyset door to make sure that it was locked lest any of those 'half-hearters' happened to be overhear their conversation. Blessedly it was shut firm and, so late into the night, it was unlikely any would be up and about and certainly not trying to eavesdrop on their stand-in Masters. The glamour, the honour, of joining a guild and becoming an official Powder Mage would be something that would not fade from their new recruits for some time. In due course that spark of awe he saw in their eyes whenever he passed would transform into respect as they settled in and came to know that the guild's lieutenants were people, not merely the folk heroes the locals gossiped about.

"Either way," he turned back to Mirande and reached across the table to take her pile of records, "there should be some interesting teams we can form." Feeling a rush of air he snatched his hand back just as Mirande slapped hers down on the papers he had been reaching for, one of her orange eyes peeking out over the cheap book in her hand.

"Aye, 'we'. Done mine, Alexie and no changin' my decisions, y'hear? Get yours done quick-sharp so we can turn in, why don't ye?" That glowing orb vanished again, the penny dreadful lifted up as she returned to her task, leaving Alexie to shake his head and returned to his work. Once she had turned in for the night he would have to come back and check her assignments. Mirande's approach to team assignments was a lot like her cooking: see what happened when you mix random elements in. It was both brilliant and awful in equal measure and Alexie's obsessive nature could not handle it, not while the Master was away.

It was going to be a long night.

---

Lyrel Swistral

The halls of Vale Craft were silent except for the fluttering of the oil lamps along the walls, every other one still lit for the members returning late from completed jobs or leaving early for new ones. This deep into the bedrock of the cliffs there was little natural light in the halls although some of the rooms, those facing west out over the sea, had windows in them but it was mostly the higher rank members who had those quarters; newcomers slept deeper into the complex but that suited Lyrel just fine. She had known nothing but nighttime for the last few months, the light of day a sign that she should have been sleeping and preparing, and a dark room with no invading sunlight was familiar to her and that was comforting. Her days of freedom, sneaking through the night and thieving from the unjustly rich, were fond memories and she missed those times and the people who had crept along in the darkness with her.

It was not that she did not trust these people. No, her loyalty to the guild and the Master was absolute and she had been hard at work trying to prove that although the Master's absence did make her feel uneasy, as if her only benefactor had disappeared without a trace and left them with their untrustworthy family. She knew that that was not the case, that Alexie and Mirande would see to her safety just as the Master would, but some scars ran too deep to heal after just a month and the slave brand on her lower arm still itched something terrible despite Alexie's healing salves. She would need to beg another from him, even if the scarring had healed such that the brand's meaning was unreadable it still felt hot, sometimes as if that glowing hot metal was being pressed down again.

"Good morning, young one."

She skirted away to the other side of the corridor on instinct as light spilled out from an open doorway, one of the older guild members standing in the arch with a harmless, amiable smile on his face. Her eyes darted to the cane in his hand, his stooped back and that relaxed posture and she found herself wondering if he had his purse on him.

Stupid! You're not her anymore, this is family now!

"Mornin'." She mumbled, trying not to run as she hurried on her way while banishing the guilt she felt at her old habits resurfacing. Today was important and she needed to be the new Lyrel, the Vale Craft Powder Mage and not the captured thief, the slave. Today, she would be assigned to a team made up from the new cohort and begin taking on jobs, serving the guild and truly leaving behind that old life.

"Off to see the illuminations?" She grinned sheepishly and saw a knowing smile spread across his pale lips. Vale Craft obviously looked after its retired members or else why would there be so many old people here? "They never grow old. Not like me, at least!"

He laughed, an edge of wheezing making its way into the sound, and she smiled in as agreeable way as she could before waving an awkward farewell, fearing that he might engage her in further conversation and that was not something she felt prepared for just yet. More importantly, though, she needed to hurry or else she would miss it. Her slippered feet moved awkwardly so she kicked off the soft, comfortable but ultimately unpractical footwear and ran down the corridor toward the feasting hall, her bare feet making barely a noise as she moved. Those days as a thief, although behind her and now filled with shame mixed with joy at their mere memory, had given her skills, useful ones that she could use for the guild.

The feasting hall was a huge room, carved out from the bedrock to form a cavernous chamber filled with wooden tables and benches. The far wall, the one that protected the hall from the elements and was in fact the entrance to the guild, was pockmarked with large circular windows, their panes dyed in different colours without any apparent pattern. The room was still dim as she made her way toward the bar, barrels of ale visible along the wall behind it and a delicious aroma drifting from the closed kitchen door. Even at this time of the morning there would be a servant in there, ready to prepare a meal for those returned exhausted from their job or to see off a team with a full belly.

Behind her, up above, a raised gallery ran along the wall overlooking the entire hall. That was where the Master and her lieutenants would sit, when they were here and not too busy. She had noticed that a lot of the time they ate in their rooms, always working on something different and that gallery laid empty although it never felt that way, as if the Master's absence was never truly felt and a part of her comforting presence was always there.

None of that was why Lyrel had come so early. On her first day Mirande had told her about this, in a quiet voice as if she were imparting some important secret, and every morning since Lyrel had come to the feasting hall to watch the sunrise. The guild's entrance faced to the east and those randomly colourful windows caught its first rays, flooding the huge room with bright splendour. It was something so far removed from her days working on the docks, her nights creeping in the dark as a thief, her short life as a slave forever trapped in the dark of the rowing decks with nothing but the smell of salt, sweat and blood to accompany her.

This small thing reminded her every morning that those days were gone. She was a Powder Mage, a Mage of Vale Craft. Today she would truly become that and her chest buzzed with frantic, desperate excitement, as the guild slowly came to life. Paula, the servant on duty, brought out her usual, simple breakfast of eggs scrambled on toast with a cup of green tea, a memory of the short time she had had with her parents, and she chose a table at random. Curling her legs up underneath her, slippers on the floor below the table, she ate and watched as the light shifted through the windows, changing patterns of light swirling in the room as the sun rose further into the sky.

The new members had only been enrolled properly the day before, she practically a veteran compared to them, and assigned quarters within the guild. It would not be long before they flooded to the hall to see what their first day would bring but for that short time with only her and a scattering of veterans rising early, Lyrel enjoyed the miracle of her new life encapsulated in that shining, coloured sunlight.

The Adamant World

@Rigmarole

Looks good. At first I was concerned her Flare was similar to Lyrel's but it has very different applications in a far more certain, in-the-present way. Might be interesting to see how Scrying and Clairvoyance work together later on...

For now, go ahead and post that in the Character tab.

The Adamant World

@Rigmarole

Eight (including myself) is the absolute maximum so that leaves one, final, open spot for yourself. I'll be around for the next two-three hours if you wanted to start working on a sheet. Any questions or any input you need from me then shoot me a message.

The Adamant World

I'm working on the first IC post now and I'll be putting it up tomorrow (for everyone's information, in case it was unclear from the thing under my username, I'm British so work on GMT+0). I'll also start work on some beginning contracts. As we go along I'll be putting these up in the 0th post as a sort of 'Jobs Board' (as well as recording other useful and relevant/reference information there). Which ones we actually go for will be determined by us as a group, largely through our in character interactions!

@OppositionJ

Perfect, that one's all okay to move to the character tab now.

@Torack

Once you've put in those additions/changes we spoke about then that's fine to go over as well.

The Adamant World

@Lasrever

Perfect, just what it needed!

The Adamant World

@Lasrever

Looks great - the only thing missing is just a bit of info on how much of her Adamant her Primary Flare would use up and a rough scale (spread it out over two square metres using up 4/10 of her Adamant ratio, for example). It doesn't need to be anything concrete, just a rough idea how it would affect her Secondary Flare (basic attribute increase).

@HecateProxy

All good - just the time limit on the hypnosis as discussed.

@wolverbells

Great.

All can go ahead and post the sheets in the character tab!

The Adamant World

@Snagglepuss89

Looks great, you can post that in the character tab when you're ready.

The Adamant World

Lyrel Swistral

Female, 24 (approximately)

Appearance/Description: Five foot and seven inches tall with a slim, petite figure, Lyrel is not physically intimidating. Her pale skin indicates one who most likely hails from Regis and her raven-black hair confirms this heritage, trailing long and straight to the small of her back. Eyes as dark as her hair with flecks of a deep purple within them, she would be a perfect shadow in the night if it were not for the luminescent whiteness of her skin. Although her preference is for dark clothes she has been forced to adopt the whiter tunics and dresses the people of the mainland wear to ward off the higher temperatures, ones she is most certainly not accustomed to. She styles herself in functional, form-fitting tunic tops and trousers which might go against the sensibilities of some of the more courtly members of society but as she has no intention of ingratiating herself with such people it is no concern of hers.

Flare: Clairvoyance is the most accurate way to describe this but it is not quite the full picture. Lyrel is able to sense an impending event but she does not see it. Her body and mind will instinctively react to the information her Flare feeds her, an example being a sharpshooter taking aim at her blind spot and her Flare commanding her body to dodge safely. It is easy for this ability to become overloaded by sensory input and she can only 'see' herself. She uses Adamant up more quickly when she is having to Flare more often, for example when she is facing numerous opponents. If she is simply walking down the street with no clear opponents then she will use Adamant up very slowly but this can be dangerous as it will leave excess substance in her digestive tracks with poisonous effects.

The other use is more traditional, allowing her to see snapshots of future events. She can only do this when totally still without any distraction, usually in a dark room and alone, and only sees events involving people she has met. The more tenuous their relationship the less clearly she sees. This use is particularly exhausting and she will see maybe five minutes of disconnected images if she expends an entire pouch of Adamant.

(Primary/Secondary Flare strength ratio varies on extent of Primary use from 1:1 (5/5) when extensively using Primary to narrow focus of Primary at 2/8 split)

History: Lyrel hails from Regis, the small island sitting between mainland Boreas and the unknown lands of Miram further east. Their position would make one think that they were in prime position to feed off the Adamant trade from Miram to the mainland but the Highprinces are too caught up in their constant border disputes to capitalise on such an opportunity and ultimately Tikanddyri seized in in their place.

Her family was one of many killed in such clashes although she was young enough at the time that it has become a distant memory; a defining one and not without pain but not an event that influences her personality and future. Shortly after the slaughter she, and many other unfortunate survivors, were carted off to the city and thrown into work on the docks or in warehouses, wherever they could be made use of. Highprince Regis had no sympathy for his subjects slain along the border, especially if he eventually lost the land which they had once tended, and Lyrel quickly learned that loyalty towards one's Highprince was rarely returned although she also saw first hand that disloyalty was swiftly punished and so kept her head down, stepping back into shadows when she did not want to be seen and finding that it was easy to go unnoticed if she wanted.

Her skills were noticed by a small time thief who brought her into a large group where she soon learned she had a knack for slipping in and out of homes and shops without attracting attention. While lacking the finesse of a master pickpocket she wasn't half bad but, unfortunately, that was not good enough to forever escape the keen eyes of the law and soon she found herself imprisoned. Sold as a slave, she was put to work rowing a ship but slipped away in the first port they came to although she was pursued. Sanctuary came in the form of Vale Craft after she stumbled, in her flight, into one of their frequent Powder Mage musters and proved to possess a Flare.

Her freedom was bought by the Master personally and she has a strong loyalty to the guild, more than most who call it home.

Personality: Lyrel is intensely loyal to certain people, those whom she trusts although that is not something easily earned. To others she is amicable, if somewhat cautious and actively dislikes being the centre of attention. She works best when in the background, unnoticed and going about her business until she is ready to step into the limelight.

That said she will lead if required, her time as a slave and her history leaving its fair share of scars and injustices upon her.

She likes to be up high, even if that is perching on the tallest bar stool (or the bar itself) and although she has a good sense of propriety she pays little heed to it, not above climbing a client's bookshelf to find the most comfortable vantage point in their room for 'reasons'.

The Adamant World (A Guild RP)

OOC and Sign-ups

@HecateProxy@Lasrever@Torack@OppositionJ