Lugubrious

Phoenix Wing (A Fairy Tail RP-Always Open, Open)

Nero – Guild Hall

At the first chords of Prince's song, Nero cringed as if if about to be struck. In the entirety of Fiore there existed only one wizard whose foolishness pleased Nero, and try as he might, this furry menace would not supplant him. “This is gonna suck.”

Immediately the singer made a beeline for Nero's group. The dark mage stiffened, dreading the prospect of the freakish feline touching him almost as much as the notion of this song continuing. Fortunately, after a few hemorrhage-inducing seconds, Prince zoomed off with uncanny speed. Nero realized that, in his tranquil, masked fury, the floor immediately beneath him had been converted completely into the same leather that constituted his shoes. Unconscious Law of Embodiment! Nice! And terrifying! his mind gushed, making Nero realize that Prince -particularly now that the archer girl from earlier had joined in- wasn't stopping anytime soon.

Instead, he focused on something else: Prince's soul. Not in a million years would a loose Law of Atavism be necessary to divine the shape of his spirit. How very catlike it was to be totally inconsiderate of others in the inexorable, unconquerable quest for self-indulgence. If anyone asked, but only then, Nero would gladly admit that he performed unwarranted acts that influenced the lives of others, but wasn't that, after all, what dark mages did? This fellow, despite his beastly aspect and unreal height, did not at all exude the vibe of a dark mage, so he had no excuse. Sure, Nero didn't like the guy, but regardless of his prejudice, making unrequested noise in a public place surely flouted common courtesy?

When it was over, however, Nero was glad to see he hadn't preemptively ruined his reputation in Phoenix Wing by accidentally cursing everyone. Moreover, it appeared that Ariel shared his sentiments exactly, for she had switched to her more aggressive persona and tried to plant a fist in Prince's face. Sudden, violent action was healthy for a budding spirit, and this Nero heartily condoned. He reasoned that Ariel flared more aggressively when clothed in orange because of the classic stereotype of fire. This logic Nero had come up with himself, which he knew meant it flimsy at best, but he had yet to stumble upon a fire wizard who didn't fit that fiery description. On a subtler level, Nero suspected that Ariel's passion, like her anger, spread more quickly in this state, and perhaps that was why that odd glint in her eyes had shown earlier.

After a refreshing groan, which must have looked odd with his smile, he answered Ayame's question without looking at her. "To answer your question, dearie, I can only do bigger physical changes right now. Once I stop being lazy about a new spell, I'll be able to do more...interesting details." After locating Ayame, an easy task since he now expected her to be behind him whenever possible, and giving her a reassuring smirk, he took a few steps over to Ariel and commiserated. “What a loudmouth! Even in a place like this there's gotta by a little privacy, right? It's only courteous!” He, paused, adjusted his glasses once again, and continued. “Incidentally, I think I might be able to help you with your request after all. Information on your past and your magic, hm?” Nero saw fit to remind her, in case she didn't remember from her forme change. “I have a super-cool spell that makes it so that you can remember stuff from when you were young. Anything you knew or remembered at the age of five. But you'll still have all of your lovely, squishy brains from right now. Think that might help?”

Protea - No Ordinary Interest Check - Help me!

No problem! The only developments aside from characters we've made is a new race called the germina and a plot we can do if this whole thing comes to fruition. Here's everything that's been said about it:

"Ebb and Flow" [+]

One setting in particular I was thinking of for a story would be a coastal city in Chalcedony famous for having a water level that changes by the hour. Dry streets would become canals, bridges between houses becoming piers, and so on. There characters would all be gathering in response to a request for aid for an expedition into the lower levels of the city, and there they'd find all sorts of adventures and things.

Ooooo, I like that setting. The tide leaves and the bodies of the unfortunate litter the streets in it's wake, of which there have been more and more. The near constant black sky and frequent appearance of the Ankou sowing seeds of hysteria. Then the whirlpool forms, dragging a whole building into the hidden depths below the city. There are no escapees or survivors. Then another, bigger. Whatever is the cause of all this, it lies down below, and the protagonists must find the answers while there is still a city left to save.

Let's expand where we have the most interest. "Ebb" of Aqua. I like the idea of a source of this disaster. Possibly our 'totes not a cult' Nocnitsa are stoking the god-like entity in control of the seas into damning this town who's political body had denied the recognition of Nocnitsa as a religious entity/political power/etc. The Governor/Mayor/Leader-Type Body/Collective Parliament/Clove of Garlic/'The Man' calls for researchers, adventurers, guardsmen, and the like to help prevent or to an extent suppress the deathly tides. I love the idea of this city struggling to figure out it's doom, yet thriving from those who come to help solve the problem in spite of the circumstances. Nocnitsa could have agents spread throughout exploring teams or city-side support groups to help cripple the efforts. Their goal isn't to totally annihilate "Ebb", but rather control it and expand their domain to allow their 'gifts' to thrive outside Spinel.

Are there any magics that the current Affinities don't represent, which any of you might like to use?

Protea - No Ordinary Interest Check - Help me!

I was originally shooting for an Iron Man-esque power suit, but if this is the level we're working with, I'll go for more of a raygun-gothic gadgeteer theme. Laser-guns, jet packs, tesla coils and such. Think Fallout-esque technology.

@Dead Cruiser

That second option suits me well!

All of the stuff I've written, Scarifar, plus whatever else people might come up with, and you have nothing? Well, alright. Shall I look forward to your renewed interest in a few days, as with HOB?

Protea - No Ordinary Interest Check - Help me!

What is the highest technology level you're willing to allow? My basic idea is a genius mage and artificer that creates mechanisms from systems of different conduits to create highly advanced magitech.

@Dead Cruiser

1920s-era technology includes the first cars, radios, and silent movies both with and without color, but because magic I'm willing to let it go a little above. What sort of magical technology would you have in mind? It would be easier for me to confirm or deny what you want rather than listing a definite limit.

Dungeon Keepers (This one's done. Go to The Horde of Evil instead)

Uh, hello, hello! How many of us are still here?

Protea - No Ordinary Interest Check - Help me!

Other than extending the bio to include some of her experiences from childhood to the age of 21, it seems fine to me. Some things you might want to look at again, however, are changing 'close in counter' to 'close encounter', and correcting the part where her fighting ability is described as from her heritage. She is, after all, human, so it might be more appropriate to say 'her influence' or something like that. Also, mentioning the Sacert, and how she tamed it.

So, that's four people with characters so far. I'm very pleased! If @Oswald the Penguin, @Scarifar, @Mortalbean, @Dead Cruiser, @GodOfChaos, @tatszico, @Prince Of Seraphs, and @Bethfuu get in on this as well, either by making characters or helping contribute to the lore/content of the world, we might be in a good shape to get this ball really rolling!

Protea - No Ordinary Interest Check - Help me!

Tell your friends

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Hey the Doc mission description wasn't very specific, are the conveys actually being derailed by the Grimm or can I have something else going on?

I didn't post after class because I don't know where the class actually stood following me and Shadow's argument and that would factor hugely into any post I created.

@Prince of Seraphs

I don't know sorry I didn't make that one.

Protea - No Ordinary Interest Check - Help me!

I like Kadoodle, but your Twisted Magician, to be frank, needs a lot of work. He's so ill-defined that I can barely dredge up enough evidence to make him overpowered, but there you go. As an NPC, perhaps someone we go up against eventually, sure, but you'd have to fill in the character sheet. It's fine if people IC don't know anything about a character (this is the case with most of our characters, actually), but in OOC, using 'unknown' amounts to an excuse.

Kadoodle's very nice though, as I said. I could legitimately see him as a PC.

Phoenix Wing (A Fairy Tail RP-Always Open, Open)

Fleo Plector – Vehicle Lot

Before entering the vehicle selected by her companion, Fleo took a moment to marvel over it. Aside from trains for insurmountably long-distance transit for which relying upon her Sirocco would be vastly impractical at best, public transportation went for the most part unused by Fleo. It was her pleasure to glide along the country roads beneath the vault of sky, breathing in the balmy breeze, giving audience to the chirping insects and sampling the perfume of whichever flower caught her wide-open eye. To be free, and to move freely, gave the dusty woman joy like nothing else. In fact, if this carriage happened to traverse a particularly palatable patch of terrain between the city and the desert, she fully planned to exit the carriage and scoot along on a carpet of dust. Still, unfamiliarity breeds interest, and Fleo gave the carriage a brief but intimate run-over before climbing inside.

The dour mood of Nolan succeeded not in breaking her excited optimism. After jumping slightly when the vehicle began to move of its own accord, Fleo slid over to the window and watched the buildings wash by. From the outlook of the streets, she knew they were headed back toward the guild to pick up Amaya and Lucas. Honestly, it still surprised her that nobody objected to the name 'Powder Keg'. While not bad for a first attempt, it carried the connotation of a livewire, ready and waiting to explode at any moment. Fleo cast a glance at Nolan, sitting glumly in the seat and avoiding her gaze. It wasn't hard to imagine the brusque boy letting loose with his ominous Ash God Slayer magic for only a minor annoyance.

A minute jerk announced that the carriage had reached its destination. Fleo promptly poked the door open, stuck her head out, and cheerily shouted, “Come on, guys! Get your butts over here so we can go kick some butt!”

-=-=-

The sight of Ayame so pleased with her new garb did not alter Nero's expression a smidgeon; it already perfectly encapsulated his gaiety. Sure, some people hated serving others, but seeing or hearing someone appraise the work of your hand favorably always provided a sense of fulfillment in his eyes. “My magic?” He said, momentarily distracted by an approaching figure, whose definitive movement toward him of all people sparked a weird sort of feeling. “Er...my magic!” He regained his composure, and pushed up his glasses in such a way that made the guild hall's light shimmer off them. This gesture, he thought, was silly, but it carried an air of studious mysteriousness sure to befuddle or at least entertain a young girl. By now Ariel had drawn almost as near as Ayame, captivating his attention with her blue clothes. In a moment, he decided, he'd have to memorize those too. “I wield a magic like none other! There are wizards who dabble in curses, yes, but there are few who create them, and only one who makes them frickin' awesome...and it is I!”

Nero slipped a small book from his pocket and popped it open, from which he began to recite officiously: “Retrogression: to temporarily reverse direction! Escalation: to rapidly increase! Atavism: to return to a former state! Affliction: to grip in illness! Augmentation: to boost power! Raiment: clothing! Embodiment: to bodily represent! Manifestation: to make appear! These I wield—the Curse Laws!”

Nero placed his palm in front of his eyes, leaned forward, and held up his other hand behind him in a stylish pose. He could only hold it for a moment, however, before he started to crack up. Once recovered from that, and back in a more ordinary posture, he sought fit to reply to Ariel. “I wasn't trying to, but then again, maybe I was. I endeavor to get everybody's attention, to have all eyes on me. I'll settle for yours, though. Metaphorically, of course, I wouldn't have anywhere to put them right now if you took it literally, tehee!” Nero replaced his little book and adjusted his hair slightly, suddenly self-conscious for whatever reason. Perhaps someone else was cursing him? Unthinkable! “Can I offer you a wish? That's usually what people want from me.” A slightly overdone curl to his ordinary smile belied yet another experiment of his. If Ariel indeed differed in both appearance and mind when she changed between her orange and blueberry states, there was a good chance that her feelings were in tumult. Nothing was easier to make something out of than nothing, Nero reasoned, so he aimed to discern the extent of Ariel's interest in him by offering his ordinary service.