SepticGentleman

Silverspell University; Sandbox-ish Dorm/Apartment Life Fantasy Creature RP

@Shard Take care, man.

Silverspell University; Sandbox-ish Dorm/Apartment Life Fantasy Creature RP

Ethra and Viik

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Ethra had moved well away from the prior event now. She was content on walking around the University grounds for a bit longer, if only to get a feel for where everything was. Her memory was solid, so she was already starting to form a proper layout in her head. Could’ve been achieved more easily with a map, yes, but oh well. She was already outside. Might as well explore.

As she went, it occurred to her that she hadn’t spoken to Irsk in a good while. Honestly, to her, Irsk was more of faculty member than a Familiar. Someone who was just, on hand, in case she had a technical or practical question. She truly didn’t see herself socializing with him very much - which made her wonder if other Familiars behaved in such a manner. Ethra wanted to know more about what they were, collectively, as she hadn’t seen mention of them in any books so far. Yet at the same time, she didn’t suppose questioning her little half-dead mouse friend would produce any satisfactory answers.

She passed by the campus store. Someplace to procure more-than-basic necessities. Didn’t look to be very active, though. As she thought that however, she watched someone exit the store - a lean, stark-skinned figure, with a featureless face barring one unsightly orifice. His limbs were dark, thin, and segmented, and he was clad in a loose, slate purple robe.

And he was carrying two large plastic packets of average water bottles over his shoulders. Ethra didn’t realize right away that she had stopped walking entirely to stare at the figure.

“Good day to you!” He said to the bagoyép. Ethra snapped out of her gaze, shaking her head rather quickly for a split second. “Uh, yes, hello.” She replied, as the figure approached. Another social interaction about to take place - she was fairly certain she’d set a personal record today.

“Viik is surprised to see rare creature such as bagoyép here. Has only ever met one other working in Forgemire.”

“The Forgemire… I’ve heard of that, I think. I can’t recall where, though.”

“Perhaps in The Engineers’ Doctrine: A Collection of Accounts from the Forgemire? Author being Late Foreman Epiad Jerga III?”

“I… haven’t read that one.”

“Well, Viik has extra copy back in dorm, if you are interested in borrowing it? Pardon Viik for being presumptuous, but you look the book-reading sort.”

“You have a good… eye, I suppose. I would appreciate that.”

“Splendid! Viik can give you firsthand account along the way. Tell him, what is your name?”

“Ethra.”

“Ethra…?”

“Just, Ethra. I… don’t have a surname.”

“Ha! A thing Viik and Ethra have in common!”

And without even realizing it, the two were walking together along the pathway towards the dorms.

Silverspell University; Sandbox-ish Dorm/Apartment Life Fantasy Creature RP

@Rhiannon Was wondering if there was any word you could give us about a timeskip in the future? To sometime early into the official school year, perhaps.

Silverspell University; Sandbox-ish Dorm/Apartment Life Fantasy Creature RP

Ethra

---

The lycan was being very forthcoming with his intentions regarding this University. Once again, Ethra thanked her emotionless face for not being able to display any signs of social discomfort, because she wasn’t quite too sure how to respond.

“I…” She began, “Wish you luck in that endeavor, I suppose.”

She had an understanding of how lycan hierarchies worked in a general sense, though it tended to vary from pack to pack. Ash’s way of saying it though made it sound like something… a little more personal, however. Ulterior motives just seemed to seep from his words. But hey, what was the bagoyép going to do about it? Not a thing.

“Well…” Ethra said, scanning the crowd as it dispersed due to lack of performance, “It was nice meeting you, Ash. I’ll be on my way, there’s other places on campus I was hoping to see before the day’s out.”

@RoccanIronclad

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Viik, Alex, and Samantha

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“Let us swap backstories while we tour.” Viik said, as the trio proceeded through the dorm hallways, headed for the exit leading out into the grounds. “Like Alex and Viik were planning to do before Samantha made her entrance. Would anyone like to go first?” He asked, turning his head towards the other two. There, however, seemed to be no desire from either of them to start with their own tales. Which, fortunately, Viik was perfectly fine with.

“Okay, Viik will start then.” He said, and then cleared his throat - which Alex and Samantha may have found to be a confusing gesture, given his anatomy - and began, “Viik is from Forgemire. Many know it as the Living Factory. Heard of it?”

Slipping his hands into his pockets as he walked, Alex tilted his head somewhat at the question, before turning towards Umbra. “Not a clue.” The crow pitched in, perched atop Alex’s shoulder, a statement the Reaper then echoed for Viik.

”Can’t say I have.” Alex stated, letting his eyes trace across the myriad of doors stretching across the walls, as they walked.

Walking. Something Samantha rarely did, but the object of teleporting would be a complete waste of energy, being that she was with two other people who couldn’t fly; well the reaper was probably a traveler. She only actually agreed to follow them on the count of being interested in Viik’s body and how he smelled so much like a human just altered in some way. The question came up about Forgemire the Living factory to which her left ear twitched rapidly and the Kitsune wasted no time in pulling out a strange device with a single antenna and a screen, about the size of the average handheld video game.

“Let's see, this is dimension 14, timeline 8 so no I haven’t been there... yet, but I’ve seen it in its hay day in other realities so I’d assume its still the experimentation on animals to create living weapons?” she asked hitting the device a few times forcing the screen to display in her native language.

“No, no experimenting on animals. Forgemire is place of product manufacturing. Golems, limbs, guns, food, toys, many-many things. Viik was reborn there seven years ago, pulled out of muck, made worker. Helped with many tasks - operating machinery, cleaning pipes, going through tunnels and removing creature nests, you know. Basic jobs.”

It was at this point that they had reached the dorm entrance, and were now exiting into the grounds.

Interesting enough she put her little device away and scratched the backside of her long fox ear to stop it from twitching so much

“But you were human once, or at least you have a human’s soul….er kind of” Sam interjected, she didn’t want to waste time beating around the bush keeping secrets was a hassle anyway, the Kitsune stretched her hands upward and bent them behind her head like a makeshift pillow.

”That’s...a lot of stuff, Viik.” Of course, many of the words Viik had uttered found their way to Alex’s mind but could a factory focusing on making so many things, at once? It must have been large, and influential. ”So...you were like a janitor?” The Reaper continued, scratching the back of his head. ”I mean...well, where I’m from, a person doing those things is called a janitor.”

“Could say that.” Viik replied, as the trio continued on the pathway, “Forgemire workers are all required to be able to do any task at any time. Equalism, you see - sometimes Viik did simple things like cleaning and maintenance, other times Viik and party of exterminators went down into depths with guns, spears, and flamethrowers. Forgemire is vast, underground, living system you see - and sometimes, it gets sick. Workers make sure it does not stay that way, and when Forgemire is reasonably healthy…”

Viik raised one of his arms and tapped it with his other hand.

“Good things can be made from its bounties. Viik’s limbs are made from petrified Forgemire growths, pressed into durable rock. Enchanted, too.”

The amount of questions piling on was rising quickly, with what Viik was explaining. Trying to narrow it all down to one thing at a time, Alex took a breath and raised his hand. ”Wait...” He began. ”Your workplace was...alive?” Asking that, didn’t scratch the surface of the mysteries Viik had dug up. ”And, you were created, there?”

“Reborn, not created.” Viik said, “Viik was once human, then he was this. Viik was incredibly frail, old limbs were like jelly. Then Viik’s boss cut off his measly limbs, gave him new ones and, voila! Viik walks, and he works.”

”...What!?” That caught Alex off guard, to say the least. Someone actually severed a man’s limbs and replaced them with stone? Just because he was supposed to work better? ”I...I mean...” Alex tried, clearing his throat. ”That sounds a bit much...” The Reaper finished. ”And I thought I had a hard life. Geeze...”

“It took adjusting, yes, but Viik made good from it. After so many years of working though, Viik wanted to do more. Sometimes workers are promoted to official craftsmen - the brains behind manufacturing designs. Viik wishes to be one of them, so he is attending Silverspell to assist him in doing so. Official education looks good on employee profile, yes?”

”That makes sense.” Alex nodded weakly. Wherever Viik called home sounded like a less than pleasant place. He actually wanted to return, there? It sounded almost like he was an expendable tool, from what he had explained. ”You said you used to be human.” Alex continued. ”I mean...they changed more than your arms and legs...” Clearing his throat, the young Reaper tried to phrase his next words carefully. ”Why uh...why did they change your face?”

“This, uh…” Viik began, losing a bit of his pep, “This was not necessarily workers’ doing. The limbs, yes, but… Viik does not have every answer, you see.”

They were passing along the outside of the library by now.

“Ehhhh, enough about Viik, yes? Perhaps Alex would like his turn?”

Had Alex stepped on a sore stop? Lowering his gaze to the floor, he decided not to pursue it. Whatever Viik knew about his changes and didn’t want to share, probably had an uncomfortable backstory accompanying it. ”There isn’t much to say, about me.” Alex shrugged. ”Grew up with my mom, dad and sister.” He began, turning to look at the library for a moment, those disinterested eyes scanning the area for a short moment. ”Dad’s a drunk, and beat the shit out of me. Not much more to say, there. Mom’s always been too afraid to say anything, but at least he left my sister alone.” The more interesting parts came after, that. ”I uh...I decided to leave, and I was offered a job, as a Reaper...” He finished, obviously leaving more than a few things unsaid.

“Ah. Viik understands.” Viik replied, not going any further than that.

This was defiantly her native dimension and timeline; a reaper being offered the job most likely long after death probably due to his father or something, she didn’t know or feel like asking about it. Well seeing as how everyone was in a sharing mood she might as well pay Viik back for disclosing his strange origins.

“Afraid mine is just as boring and quite the bother to tell” she said yawning “As you can tell I’m a Kitsune and I have the ability to teleport, well that’s an understatement; I’m a natural born planeswalker and I can create stargate rifts to go to other planets.” She explained looking up at the sky curling her tails around her body to form a sort of fur coat “At ten I had been just about everywhere in the galaxy and at fifteen I mastered my planewalking so dimensions and other realities were just like walking to your next door neighbor’s house for sugar, nothing was ever out of reach or forbidden to me….nothing,” she explained getting a tad solemn at the end taking in another deep breath “As for family well I haven’t seen them too much, couldn’t stay home when there were galaxies to explore, realities to uncover, dimensions to visit, It was different I suppose,” She chuckled

“Eh. Planewalkers are ten a penny to Viik.” Viik said, as the trio continued through the courtyard, past some commotion in the distance, which they didn’t intend to bother themselves with. “He met one in Forgemire market once. Challenged him to game of hide and seek. Was never heard from again.”

Sam chuckled at the comment being called ten a penny was a new one, she’d been worshiped as a god in another dimension but being called common an lame was a first.

“I’ve met other planeswalkers or pseudo walkers in the Nexus, they're a little too optimistic for me” she sighed again

“Viik assumes you have become bored after so much traveling?”

“Nothing's left for me other planewalkers can't go to other planets in any solar system, they are bound to that planet and its multi-realities”

“Perhaps boundaries are good thing then.” Viik responded, “Sounds to Viik like you have desensitized yourself. Unhealthy for one your age.”

“All doors were open to me a birth, so boundaries aren’t something I know of, just like that Neko’s chicken nuggets theres an infinite number realities where I didn’t take them and a infinite more where I did and an infinite more where one of us or both were never born” continued to explain

“Yes, yes, but still, does not change fact that you took them here, on this plane.” Viik interrupted, “So many realities, does not make one you are in now any more or less important. Viik, for one, is thankful for where he is from. Does not matter what others there are. Viik doesn’t care about them.”

They were near the campus store right about now. “Oh, uh, Viik needs to go procure water bottles. Many of them.” Viik said, moving away from Alex and Samantha, towards the store entrance, “Go on without him, he will be back at dorm later. Take care!”

And then he was gone.

Silverspell University; Sandbox-ish Dorm/Apartment Life Fantasy Creature RP

@Conscripts Clarification - only a single student was tossed into the bushes because they were the one who threw the slop at the performers.

Silverspell University; Sandbox-ish Dorm/Apartment Life Fantasy Creature RP

Ethra

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“Ethra.” She said to Ash, “And it’s no bother to ask those sorts of questions. I have a propensity to do the same, myself. Really, I wished to attend Silverspell so I cou-”

As she spoke, she was interrupted by the sound of something heavy and sloppy soaring through the air, and hitting one of the performers dead on. It was covered in various food contents mixed together, as was its instrument. Both of them stopped playing, and immediately afterward, a resounding ‘ha!’ supposedly came from whomever did the throwing.

Obviously, someone didn’t approve. As Ethra and Ash turned their heads towards the source of the sound, they caught the sight of someone being literally thrown away from the crowd. Audible gasps came from several other people as a student was sent flying, landing inside a nearby snow-covered shrubbery. Ethra then turned her attention back towards the performers - who had now went on their way to clean up, calmly walking away from the crowd.

“Unbelievable.” Was all Ethra had to say.

@RoccanIronclad

Viik

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All Viik could gleam from Samantha’s dis-and-reappearance was that she was a thief, honestly. The kind of mage likely to use their ability to be anywhere, anytime on a whimsy - however, something seemed rather lax about her attitude whole. Or maybe, bored was the right term. She didn’t look like she wanted to be here at all.

Well, Viik obviously didn’t think himself the one to try and make friends right away. A gut feeling within him told him that the kitsune just wasn’t having any of that.

“Well then.” Viik said, rotating his shoulders a bit, and stretching his neck. “Acquaintances have been made, presumptions established… Viik is going to tour the grounds now. See University at large.”

He headed for the door.

“Alex and Samantha are free to tag along, it is no bother to Viik!”

Didn’t matter to him if he were alone or not.

@Noxx
@Shard

Silverspell University; Sandbox-ish Dorm/Apartment Life Fantasy Creature RP

Ethra

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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.

@RoccanIronclad

Silverspell University; Sandbox-ish Dorm/Apartment Life Fantasy Creature RP

Viik

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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?”

@Noxx
@Shard

Silverspell University; Sandbox-ish Dorm/Apartment Life Fantasy Creature RP

Viik

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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.”

He sat down on the sofa across from Alex.

“So tell Viik about yourself.”

@Shard

Silverspell University; Sandbox-ish Dorm/Apartment Life Fantasy Creature RP

Ethra

---

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.