Ethra returned Ash’s handshake, always intending to be polite. Sometimes she considered it a boon how were face physically couldn’t display emotions - no one could tell if she had a scowl or smile. Regardless, she was meeting more people on her first day in Silverspell than she was expecting, but so far it’d always been a case of them coming to her. Which she could take, absolutely.
“I recall you, yes.” Ethra said to the lycan, nodding her head just a bit. She turned her attention back towards the two wooden performers and continued on to say, “I’ve… heard little music in my life, so far. So this is actually quite nice.”
A small crowd had gathered around the performers by now. They continued to play, for no compensation whatsoever. Music for the sake of music, it seemed. Nothing to do with the arcane - and Ethra could always appreciate mundanity.
She thought about those three branches, though. The ones with the little memorials on them. She could only surmise that this duo used to be a quintet. And now, by some means, three of the five were gone.
And for some reason, that filled the young bagoyép with a faint, inexplicable sadness.
Before Alex even had a chance to start laying out his story to Viik, the area behind them began to warp a bit, and suddenly standing in the space there was a female figure, with fox-like ears and nine large tails, wearing a kimono. The telltale signs of a kitsune. Alex and Viik only got a few seconds worth of a look at her before she disappeared once again with her luggage. A few audible thuds sounded in the nearby room - which had been previously unoccupied - and suddenly, the kitsune was back.
“So this is my dorm, huh.” She said, in a very obviously displeased tone, “What a bother.”
Alex and Viik were still standing there, slightly dumbstruck. Story-swapping had appeared to have been cut short for now. A moment passed of the two parties merely looking at each other before Viik decided to be the one who breaks the proverbial ice.
“Yyyyyyou are being Alex and Viik’s roommate, then.” He said, “Teleporting fox-woman wishes to introduce herself, perhaps?”
Viik had taken the time after formally meeting Alex to set things up within his room. Pre-placed equipment had been set aside, replaced with Viik’s own artisan tools and resources. Pesco the golem lied in the corner, to be called upon for labor when Viik deemed such appropriate. All the stone slabs had been properly stacked up for later use.
“This is good.” Viik said to himself, as he looked around the room. It had been a hot minute of making arrangements, so he decided he’d try talking to Alex some more. His new Reaper friend - he would be lying if he said he weren’t a little interested in hearing his story.
Viik exited his room to find Alex still seated within the living area. “Viik is done making himself at home!” He called out, “And now he wishes to acquaint with his new Reaper friend.”
Ethra had bid Griffin, Haka-Mesuka, and the armored skeleton in the library farewell after their brief discussion regarding the Eaten’s being. She politely excused herself to tour the University grounds, unsure if she would end up in the cafeteria, or maybe just head back to her dorm. She said she’d see when it happened.
As she exited the library, she passed Yg’ntha, thanking her for the books, and saying she’d enjoy listening to her explain what she is. ‘Child of the Filthmonger’ she had said earlier. The name alone warranted a fair bit of interest.
Ethra made her way along the cobblestone pathways, enjoying the cool breeze flowing in between the buildings, gently shifting her feathers around. As she rounded a corner, something up ahead caught her interest. Two short figures, standing beside each other, on the side of the path. They were both completely featureless, wearing drab clothes, and they had skin that looked to be wood. It was as if they were both little trees shaped like human beings. Something… connected the two, a branch of some sort, protruding from each of their heads. At the middle of the length was a large growth, with a faint orange light emanating from within it. Three other branches stemmed from the growth, but they did not connect to more wooden beings - as if they had been severed at some point. The ends of the branches were fitted with small ornaments with an unrecognizable language written on each of them.
Memorials?
As she approached their general area, she saw that they were both holding odd string instruments, looking awfully similar to lutes. The duo flicked their hands thrice in unison, and then began to play. A fast, whimsical tune filled the air around all of them, and the performing duo quickly began to catch the attention of several passing students, including Ethra.
She was captivated by them. Not just their music, but their… everything.
“This man, this blithering dumbass of man, he say, ‘I paid for a golem with a turret on its back, and you tell me I have to load it with my own bullets?’ I thought that would be taken care of’.”
Viik was lugging around two suitcases full of a myriad of different arcane materials. Behind him was a golem of his own creation, standing a whole head and shoulders taller than him, pulling a luggage trolley stacked to the brim with various slabs of gray rock.
“And Viik says, ‘Okay, sit down, Viik is going to learn you a thing. Viik is not ‘ammomancer’, he does not know how to make magical bullets that self-replicate. He is very certain that is impossible. What Viik DOES know, however, is that .50 caliber bullet is motherfucker, and very useful even against many creatures. And they’re not impossible to get, if you believe in yourself hard enough.’ And the man, he says- are you listening?”
Viik stopped and looked at the white cobra wrapped around his arm, Siraan. She met his blank stare with her own, giving no verbal response. As usual.
“You continue to say nothing to Viik.” He said in turn, “He is starting to believe you are not Familiar. Just some random snake that managed to find her way into Viik’s home, and inadvertently lead him on magical journey to arcane educational institution.”
Again, no response from the cobra.
“You make Viik uncomfortable.” He began scanning the immediate hallway around him. “Now… desk-clerk say Viik’s room is where?” He eyed several doors, but none of them matched the information on his slip of paper.
“Oh well. Viik will just have to keep looking. Onward, Pesco!”
And so Viik and his golem henchman continued their search for an abode.
Given Name: Viik (pronounced ‘Veek’) Gender: Male (by origin, technically no longer applies) Age: 31 (24 years as a human, 7 years ongoing as what he is now) Species: Unspecified (formerly human)
Appearance:
In-Depth Appearance: Viik stands at 5’10 and weighs 207.7 lbs, most of that weight coming from his enchanted stone components. Normally hidden, his fleshy white upper body contains all that’s left of his original human form, now preserved by a fetid black sludge that occasionally seeps out of the orifice located on his forehead (functioning to release pressure from gas buildup caused by the sludge). Brief Personality: Viik is an eccentric, taking great pride and joy in his creative hobbies. His primary goals in life are to improve his craft and have it be recognized by those around him. To that end, he is a bit of an attention seeker, but (usually) knows when to practice subtlety. He enjoys setting up new milestones for himself, and appreciates being challenged by others, for the sake of show, education, and very often - payment. He places great priority on learning from mistakes in both his craft and social interactions. and thus has a tendency to make extensive organizational lists about any variety of subjects. He does not break away from his work often, but he is not entirely averse to joining in an activity with anyone who considers him a friend.
Familiar Name: Siraan Familiar Form: Siraan takes the form of a female cobra, possessing stark white scales with small specks of black.
Additional Information: Viik is the sole survivor of a series of largely failed experiments conducted by an unknown scientist seven years ago. The experiments involved introducing modified arcane substances to human test subjects in order to produce laborers that could work in extreme, otherworldly conditions. Viik managed to survive the initial trials that gave him a myriad of resistances and immunities to various supernatural afflictions, but was deemed too physically weak to be of any practical use as a worker. Thus, Viik was discarded and left to eventually expire on his own.
However, Viik was simply too tenacious to accept this as his fate.
Viik crawled out of the muck he was thrown into and was rescued by a passing caravan, one traveling with them being an experienced golem crafter and limbsmith. Viik was gifted with a new set of limbs to replace his weak and withered ones, allowing him to stand and walk on his own. He was also taught extensively about the arts of golem crafting and limbsmithing, but unfortunately, his mentor eventually passed away due to illness. However, the mentor, to Viik’s benefit, had enlisted several favors from several individuals in order to acquire a scholarship for his protege, completed only in his dying weeks. Thus, Viik deigned to make good use of his mentor’s boon and attend Silverspell University to both improve and promote his craft.
“Viik’s home is place known as the Forgemire, or the Living Factory to some. Many say it is horrible, filthy place - for most part, they are correct. Forgemire is one third rock, one third metal, and one third meat. Pipes filled with blood flow through the system. Soft beating of great heart can be heard when you press your ear to pipe surface. Viik tells no lie - the Forgemire is alive, and the Engineers keep it sated.”
“As Viik said, Forgemire is factory. Factory that makes many things. Golems, weapons, limbs, food, toys even. Sell products to many people of this world, and to other peoples of other worlds. Viik was rescued by Engineer and raised within the intestines of factory. He saw both good and bad of it. Factory help many, but also demand much in return. Engineers give something when they take something, or else Forgemire grows hungry. Too hungry, and… bad things happen.”
“But Viik is proud to be Engineer. He is proud to be part of workforce that keeps Forgemire in check. Viik hopes Silverspell will help him master his craft, to make best use of factory’s bounties. Not just for his sake, but for many others’ as well.”
Given Name: Viik (pronounced ‘Veek’) Gender: Male (by origin, technically no longer applies) Age: 31 (24 years as a human, 7 years ongoing as what he is now) Species: Unspecified
Appearance:
In-Depth Appearance: Viik stands at 5’10 and weighs 207.7 lbs, most of that weight coming from his enchanted stone components. Normally hidden, his fleshy white upper body contains all that’s left of his original human form, now preserved by a fetid black sludge that occasionally seeps out of the orifice located on his forehead (functioning to release pressure from gas buildup caused by the sludge). Brief Personality: Viik is an eccentric, taking great pride and joy in his creative hobbies. His primary goals in life are to improve his craft and have it be recognized by those around him. To that end, he is a bit of an attention seeker, but (usually) knows when to practice subtlety. He enjoys setting up new milestones for himself, and appreciates being challenged by others, for the sake of show, education, and very often - payment. He places great priority on learning from mistakes in both his craft and social interactions. and thus has a tendency to make extensive organizational lists about any variety of subjects. He does not break away from his work often, but he is not entirely averse to joining in an activity with anyone who considers him a friend.
Familiar Name: Siraan Familiar Form: Siraan takes the form of a female cobra, possessing stark white scales with small specks of black.
Additional Information: Viik is the sole survivor of a series of largely failed experiments conducted by an unknown scientist seven years ago. The experiments involved introducing modified arcane substances to human test subjects in order to produce laborers that could work in extreme, otherworldly conditions. Viik managed to survive the initial trials that gave him a myriad of resistances and immunities to various supernatural afflictions, but was deemed too physically weak to be of any practical use as a worker. Thus, Viik was discarded and left to eventually expire on his own.
However, Viik was simply too tenacious to accept this as his fate.
Viik crawled out of the muck he was thrown into and was rescued by a passing caravan, one traveling with them being an experienced golem crafter and limbsmith. Viik was gifted with a new set of limbs to replace his weak and withered ones, allowing him to stand and walk on his own. He was also taught extensively about the arts of golem crafting and limbsmithing, but unfortunately, his mentor eventually passed away due to illness. However, the mentor, to Viik’s benefit, had enlisted several favors from several individuals in order to acquire a scholarship for his protege, completed only in his dying weeks. Thus, Viik deigned to make good use of his mentor’s boon and attend Silverspell University to both improve and promote his craft.
Ivy Jade Riverstone - “Viik knows magic can make better crafts. Viik must approach snowy blonde witch and request assistance. And Viik is not so sure witch will say yes.”
Varos Sulan - “Dragons difficult to work with. Often demand highly decorative crafts made of valuable materials without contributing any themselves. Viik is not made of money, damn it.”
Ashley Jens - “Lycans and shapeshifters present challenge to Viik. Want to make crafts capable of transformation compatibility. Viik believes lycan man wishes to help in this endeavor.”
Ethra - “Big-eyed owl woman interested in Viik’s crafts, but not in having any installed on her person. Viik understands this. Not everyone wants bigger, better, rockier versions of themselves.”
Haka-Mesuka - “Lycan woman does not seem to trust Viik or his craft. Viik understands this, again. Maybe she will reconsider in future.”
Katarina Elza - “Viik does not care for purple muscle-woman. Too destructive, too likely to turn Viik’s crafts into debris.”
Raven Magnus - “Magical fur-person is unpredictable, but seems agreeable enough. Viik may approach him about collaboration in future.”
Mortem - “Viik like swordy bone-man! Viik could make new body for him, stronger and better! Viik need only master the art of soul relocating first. May take some time, or a few.”
Griffin - “Viik feels for bandage man. Viik also does not recall person he used to be. Wonders if he could make anything to cheer him up. Maybe new herbal pipe or similar apparatus. Viik should ask sometime.”
Om - “Viik appreciates bulky shock-bird’s positivity, but is keen on declining hugs from him. Viik feels he is strong enough to break Viik’s limbs very easily.”
Lola Dague - “Ha! Viik dares hungry shadow woman to make food of him! Like licking oil off of leaky automobile, Viik bets.”
Leonard Brand - “Just a man. Viik can appreciate simplicity. Viik can also make man much better, for a price.”
Alex Rovan - “Viik is sure he will never die. He will just make new and better body for himself, eventually. Don’t think reaper-man appreciates that. But then again, Viik does not care.”
@Rhiannon In the interest of making a new character, is it at all possible for a familiar to be manually constructed? Like the soul of one, placed in a pint-sized golem or something similar?
EDIT: Nevermind, decided against it. Still rolling with the character proper though.
So… Griffin’s condition was the result of an ancient witch coven’s contingency plan, propagated generation after generation. As she listened to his explanation, she found herself just the slightest bit captivated by it, imagining all the scenarios in her head. But then, something towards the end… didn’t add up.
If the witches’ physical bodies were eaten… how were they able to procreate?
That was the one hangup in Griffin’s explanation. With Ethra’s spelling the question out in her head though, Irsk provided comment.
Either there’s details he left out, or more likely, he’s lying.
Why would he-
Do you wanna ask him?
She didn’t respond. She simply looked at Griffin as he averted his gaze from both the bagoyép and the - rather intrusive - lycan girl, in the process of rewrapping his bandages around his person. Ethra had a feeling that all this, Griffin talking about what he was, was making him… uncomfortable. She wondered, what reason would he have for lying, if he was? Maybe it was just the pressure from several people prodding him about it. Or maybe it was something much more… clandestine.
Then Ethra thought to herself… did she really want to be the type to pry? After all, she and Griffin had only met an hour ago. In all fairness, he had good reason to be restrictive with his own words.
Thus, Ethra ruled that now simply wasn’t the time to press. The Eaten and she were roommates - if anything, they’d build up to a point where some secrets could be divulged. But not today.
And so, after a bout of silent thought, Ethra said to Griffin, “That’s very interesting.”
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