Aladora: An Elemental RP [O/A]

[Meg-Milly]

And so the story begins....

It had been a year since the few survivors of the previous party had only returned from their fateful journey, a shell of their former power. For some time, the council had attempted to find an alternate solution to the problems. As the months passed, the land had grown more dangerous as natural disasters struck more frequently throughout the land. Narran alone had remained a sanctuary by the power of the elemental elders who kept it safe. However, even their powers were beginning to falter against the great forces that threatened them, and the decision was made that no more time could be wasted. The time had come for a new group to gather to attempt what those before had been unable to complete. This year, there were no trials or tests – there was simply no time. Those who had been chosen were hand-selected by the elders, and two weeks before each had been asked individually to join in the cause to save Aladora.

Now the time had come. Their presence had been requested in the Grand Hall, a great room of vaulted ceilings and marble floors. The walls on either side were lined with the colorful, traditional banners of Aladora, while at the front hung an ornate tapestry depicting the sacrifice of the ancient dragon. A small section of risen stone led up to the art, with empty high-backed chairs set to accommodate the four elemental elders and the chief minister of the High Council. The room held an eerie, ominous tone. The light was beginning to fade as dusk began to settle in, heightening the effect of the candles that had lit themselves an hour before. The party had been scheduled to meet here hours ago, but their hosts had yet to arrive…

[Amiimii]

A man of no morals.

A man of no fears.

A man of no soul.

A lumbering form worked its way around town, glazed eyes recalling the ways they once viewed the town. Everything remained the same in the reality of life, but to the man, it may as well have been an entire new world. Once lush vegetation was now dead and rotted, and the smiles of the friendly city-goers were now nothing more than the scowls and frowns of the masses eager to earn their living. Nothing was the same. Even though he had grown to a hulking six foot seven, Tacita could see nothing new in the town. Looks of fear from the children berated him due to his now ragged appearance. Paired with his odd proportions certainly made him stand out.

It had taken him longer than he would have liked, but Tacita finally found the meeting place he had been summoned to. Were this years earlier, he would have been early to the meeting, but life had not enough meaning to him anymore. He opened the door with slow, uncaring ease before walking slowly into the room. Nobody else was here yet either. How...strange. For him to be the first was nothing if not unusual. To everyone elses' credit, however, even if they were here, Tacita likely would have noticed them. It was only at first glance that he could not see anyone else.

Walking through the familiar Grand Hall, Tacita took no time to admire the artistic value of the place. He was focused solely on this meeting, and the mission that would be explained to him here. Near the chairs where he suspected the important figures would sit, but still not close enough to whisper to, Tacita stood, and waited. He hoped this mission would be his salvation, so he would wait until he died if need be. Someone would show.

Is he really a man?

[SillyMissMilly]

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Ebony had arrived at the great hall in time for the summons, however when she arrived the Elders weren't there. She'd waited a long while before she'd gotten distracted by sounds coming from the courtyard. She'd made her way out there only to be distracted from the sound by a butterfly. She ended up chasing it half way across town before she'd realized what the time was. It had been over an hour since she'd left the great hall and quite possibly missed the meeting entirely. The girl, not wanting to miss more than she already had, ran back the training grounds and entered the grand hall once more. This time the candles were lit but there was still no sign of the men and women who'd summoned her. She was glad for this as her mum had always taught her to be punctual.

As she ran into the room the large scythe mounted on her back slipped out of position causing the blade to swing down and hit the floor. This wasn't the first time the weapon had threatened to slice off her legs, it was a regular occurrence marked by her tattered dress bottom. The once fine cloth was ripped, torn and dirtied from careless treatment. The loud clatter of the scythe didn't seem to register in the girl's mind, or so it seemed, for she rushed forward into the room; the weapon dragging and scraping along the impeccable marble floors.

Unfortunately, the hulking blade had not completely detached from its tie, rather it only twisted as it became unbalanced. The horrible racket of it didn't stop until Ebony had reached a rather gloomy looking fellow with long dark hair. The girl's long bangs covered her eyes making it difficult to see him. To remedy this she tilted her head back so that she could look out from under them. It just wasn't apparent to her that brushing them aside would be easier. After a moment of blatant and rude staring she asked, "Are you dead?" For anyone else the answer was an apparent and resounding 'no', but in Ebony's world the boundaries or real and make believe were ones she'd never learnt. Apparently, she hadn't learnt which questions were considered rude either.

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OOC: Hi!! Welcome back ^^







Digital Obsession

[SillyMissMilly]

Of course they were late. Those old crones were always bickering about something. Xadrian had arrived in the grand hall a good 30 minutes ago, he was 10 minutes early and they were 20 minutes late. It had always rubbed him the wrong way when they took up an excess of his time. It wasn't like he sat around waiting for their summons all day, he had a life and a whole lot of nothing to do back home. Yet just because he had no where better to be didn't mean he wanted to be there either. He just happens to be a lazy guy who enjoys doing nothing when there's nothing to do. Deciding it wasn't worth his while to stand he may as well get comfy. With this thought in mind he headed for the back of the room and got comfy. Sitting down, he leaned his back against the wall and sprawled his legs out in front of him. The marble was cold and hard and so was the stone wall at his back, but it was still better than standing.

Ten minutes more and Xadrian fell right to sleep. The man slept soundly despite the lack of comforts, in fact it seemed it would take a disaster to wake the man. Not a soul who entered could make enough noise to rouse him. Not even Ebony with her scythe that clanged and drug across the polished floors. When the weapon had fallen he'd only stirred ever so slightly, his head jerking to the side and a sleepy sound escaped him. Once the girl had stopped moving he was still once more and resting peacefully. It was possible that he may even sleep through the elder's speech, were they to ever show their faces that was.

[Amiimii]

Tacita Terram

He who fallows desitny,

Dies with destiny.

For a few moments, the womans question did not even register to Tacita. For someone like himself, it was weird to have someone speak to him, especially someone who did not seem to be affected by his appearance. However, her question was odd. Was he dead? In a literal sense, it was obvious he was not dead. Were he dead, he would not be standing, breathing, or staring. But, in the sense of a normal human being, saying he was dead was not far off. And so, after having thought about his answer for a few moments, he slowly turned his head to look at the woman who had stared at him before asking her odd question. She herself looked odd, but that interested Tacita more than deterred him.

His voice had not been used in so long, it almost felt and sounded foreign to him. It resonated throughout the halls, the deep impact it made reverberating in some places off of the walls. "You should consider asking yourself if you are alive."

For someone like him, who had been an adviser to perhaps an entire city at one point, speaking in riddles was something he had become good with. While this was no riddle, it was not a direct answer either. In politics, one always had to be sneaky. Instead of turning his head back, Tacita chose to keep his attention on this figure in front of him. Her scythe was certainly an odd weapon on choice. Was she an elemental? He didn't care. After all, the elders still had yet to arrive.

[SillyMissMilly]

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As the man stood and contemplated her question the silence and lapse in time did not phase her, she simply stood and stared at him some more. Whether or not she even blinked no one would have been able to tell for the hair covering her eyes. When he eventually spoke she stopped at his question and tilted her head to one side. In her head she mulled over the idea of being dead, it was a rather curious matter and something that really got her brain ticking. "I'm not too sure actually," she replied, "what's it like to be dead? If I died would I know it?" Ebony then turned her head to the side looking up and away. She also raised her hand and held her chin, the other hand cupping her elbow as she thought. "Hmmmm," she was obviously thinking very hard about this conundrum, "I know!!! We're all dead!! That must be it!" she exclaimed excitedly. Her lips bore a large grin that soon twisted into a frown, "but wait...." she paused realizing a flaw in her theory. "Then what about the people that die! Are they dying again?! What happens to them when they die again?!" she asked.

Clearly there were a few screws missing in the girl's head. Ebony had completely forgotten that she may actually be alive due to her engrossment with her own previous theory. Luckily for her, the man seemed interested enough in her to converse. She wasn't sure how long their little talk would last, as most people would have, by now, walked away from her. Or at least attempted to. Ebony then looked back to the long haired man, tilting her head upwards in the same fashion as before. This time she noticed him eyeing her scythe, this excited her as well as distracted her. Reaching around her she pulled the flimsy tie at her back and grasped the weapon's handle. In one quick motion she pulled it around her and held it out at arms length so he could see it better. "Do you like my sickle!?! Isn't it pretty!" she exclaimed joyously.

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OOC: Meet Ebony! She's.... a little different smile







Digital Obsession

[TheMeg00]

Anger is like fire. . .
It burns it all clean

Dezra Reiloch

The woman was almost as late as the elders. While the rest of the group had been asked to show up several hours before, Dezra seemed to have made herself the exception. However, it was obvious by the look on her face that this was not the time to call her out on her tardiness. Her eyes were intently set, a faint red burning behind them as she opened the door and stared ahead from the doorway towards the empty chairs before them. The door she held to her side with an outstretched arm for a long moment as she fumed silently, her lips pursed in annoyance. Her skin was hot to the touch, as she emitted heat like an angry little radiator. She stared at the chairs for a moment or two, then moved on from the doorway, allowing it to fall back into place behind her.

A part of her wanted to set those seats aflame, simply to send a message to the stuffy old men (and woman). She had been arguing with them for some time now, and obviously she had not come out on top. However, instead of feeling bad for what sort of trouble it would cause the elders and how they might retaliate, she considered the attention that it would garner her in this room full of new bodies, and decided against it. She settled instead to find herself a place against the wall, standing with her back against it and her arms crossed, looking over those who had assembled. She had to admit already that the age and experience of the group was more promising than their last endeavor. Dezra had practically been babysitting all of those little – Well, they weren’t around any longer for anyone to watch over, and the couple who had survived had not returned their summons. For that matter, those who had been sent to fetch them had not returned at all. She supposed she wasn’t surprised. At the very least, it seemed that they may have at least learned something from their last attempt, even if they refused to listen to her on the matter. Her eyes moved from one to the next, paused briefly on one, then continued around until she had made note of each. Her attention then moved back to Xadrian, where it had paused earlier, and stayed there for a moment or two. She seemed to be considering something, but could not quite make up her mind. Finally, she appeared to decide against it. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall.

The small, angry woman took a few long breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Her temperature plummeted back to its normal range. The tension stayed in her body to keep her rigidly upright, but her expression relaxed somewhat as she drew her focus inward. She was trying to find that core, the center where she drew upon her abilities. It was not a simple thing to do – it was such a natural part of her that to discover its source and intentionally take hold of it was a challenge. She was almost at the starting point of her meditations when something drew her out of it. She was distracted, and she knew why.

Dezra’s eyes snapped open again, returned to their usual charcoal. Her gaze stopped upon Xadrian once more, and she pushed herself from the wall without a word. Her dress grazed the floor as she walked, headed towards the snoozing guardian. She stopped a couple of feet in front of him with her arms crossed once more, this time with the air of an impatient school teacher with one finger tapping against her opposite arm.

”You’re still as lazy as ever, I see,” she stated after about thirty seconds of waiting. One foot, clad in a small black shoe, exposed itself from under her long dress long enough to shove into the sleeping guardian’s side. ”A lot of good you’re going to do us. We may as well feed you to a Thaal right now.”

Aladoran Elemental
Keeper of Fire

[Eurynomoz]

Gerik Ahlgren

Preceded by a dull thump, the main entrance opened roughly before the next arrival. There was a decidedly exhausted sag to his shoulders as he turned fully to close the door himself, leaning against it to complete the task; turning with his back pressed up against the door, a somewhat dopey-eyed expression taking in the room, this man had probably had his share of drink. A wayward traveler, perhaps? The hefty rucksack suggested as much, hanging from his left hand. Though the b*****d sword peeking past his head spoke volumes otherwise. And a short sword at his left hip--what, was he afraid of losing one or the other?

With a degree of effort, Gerik righted himself and shuffled somewhere, anywhere, that gave him some space from...the open space ahead. A wall would suffice, and was evidently a shared choice. He pushed back up against it with a slight bend to his knees as he let the rucksack drop to the floor. From this random vantage point, he'd appear to stare off at nothing at all. Clearly there was some inner monologue behind this. In short: why did I bet it all, what was I thinking, I ended up late trying to regain the winnings, and so on.

But this invitation hinted at something more. What was a little money, when history was to be made? If he played it right, finances would be a thing of the past. Gerik's expression lit up in a broad grin at the aspect; it broadened until the lateral scar bisecting his nose turned up into a second grin of its own. Hard to tell how noble his dreams remained with the remaining alcohol in his system. Then the realization dawned on him that the summons made no specific mention of a reward, and just like that, the magic was gone. With that realization, his expression went grim again, one eye twitching a couple times. It was a safe assumption that the inner monologue had turned predominately to words too profane for polite conversation.

Having returned to the original gloom he had upon entering, Gerik again allowed his eyes to wander past the others, pausing on the empty seats doubtless reserved for the elders. One eye pinched shut so as to bring the objects into better focus. What possible reason could they have for being later than him?

[Amiimii]

Tacita Terram

For a moment, Tacita stared at the woman incredulously. She was nearing the exact opposite of him. She was truly alive, and obviously did not know much about civilization. Or, perhaps, he was the one who did not know of civilization. Was she the one who was in touch with the world now? He decided rather quickly that no matter the answer, it didn't change his opinion of her. She interested him-something that was rather hard to do. Since then, two people had entered the Grand Hall, only one of which interested him, though she seemed to be a bit on the angry side, so Tacita had decided to steer clear of her for the time being.

"Have you never heard the phrase "to truly live is to die"? Perhaps we are all dead, and do not truly live until we die."

This womans extreme excitement over something so simple amused Tacita, though no signs of it showed outward, as usual. "...and I would call that a scythe. Not a sickle, my lady. It seems to me that what you hold is made more for killing, rather than harvesting."

SillyMissMilly

OOC: To be honest, I love her. xD I cannot wait for every interaction with her in this roleplay. xD

[SillyMissMilly]

The guardian remained soundly asleep, or at least he would have were it not for that all too familiar energy located somewhere near his feet. The one that made him feel like he was sitting on the plate of a microwave, spinning round and round while be zapped, heated and cooked (or at least that's how he'd describe it if microwaves existed in Aladora). Of course Dezra didn't always prickle his guardian senses like this, but she did whenever she was angry; which was most of the time. Today it felt as though she was particularly pissed off about something or other which didn't surprise him too much. He'd first gotten a sense of her presence when she'd entered through the door. Having been sitting so near the entrance he'd gotten a blast of her aura when she'd burst into the hall. It hadn't woken him at first, rather it had only begun to pull his conscious mind to the surface.

With the fire elemental standing at his feet he snapped awake, however he didn't bother opening his eyes. Instead he sat there, arms crossed, head slumped, and muttered a "humph." Xadrian then opened his eyes and raised his head, "Now Dezzy, that's not a very nice thing to say to an old friend you haven't seen in such a long while," the man then pushed him self up. Once he was on his feet he stretched his arms above his head trying to rid himself of the grips of sleep. The motion showed off all the toned muscles of his upper body. The man wasn't exactly one for wearing shirts, he'd spent to much time sweating in them while training in the wasteland. When he was done stretching he stood before her and looked down on her small figure. Xadrian was considerably taller than the woman which made him smile, "I see you haven't grown any since I last saw you either," he chuckled.

TheMeg00

[SillyMissMilly]

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Ebony stood with her weapon held out in front of her and listened to the phrase. Having lived in near solitude the vast majority of her life she had not heard it before. Looking at the man she blinked a couple of times as what he said sunk in. "Ohhhhh, that makes sense. So then dying is a good thing! Well! That's one less thing to worry about!" she exclaimed.

Once more her attention was brought to her weapon as he gave his opinion on it's true nature. Indeed the large intricate blade and staff-like handle was not that of a sickle. However he was wrong about one thing, "It is too for harvesting!!" she argued. Ebony's mouth turned a little pouty, "I gather plants for mammy with it all the time." The girl then pulled the scythe close to her and hugged it, "Plus, I can use it to harvest dead people. So there!" she said with a twisted smile. Ebony then stuck out her tongue at him defiantly while ricking back and forth a little. After a moment she stopped and looked at him once more, "what are you going to use to harvest the dead, you are going to help people live right?" Ebony asked. She had noticed that the man didn't carry a weapon of any kind. A normal person would have probably guessed that he was an elemental, or perhaps that he fought hand to hand, but she of course hadn't put two and two together.

The poor girl definitely had everything backwards now, luckily she wasn't crazy enough to go cut down a bunch of villagers under the pretense that she was helping them though. Yet the idea of murder didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. It wouldn't be surprising for one to think she was some kind of deranged psychopath despite the fact that never in her life has she harmed a soul.


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OOC:







Digital Obsession

[Amiimii]

Once again, Tacita found himself amused by the woman. She obviously had a few screws loose, something that honestly pleased him. Perhaps he could find an actual friend in this company after all. Maybe he was right. Maybe this would be his salvation. But, those thoughts were far off-so far off, in fact, that Tacita simply chose to forget them. This woman had the potential, that's all.

"I choose not to hurt my fellow men and woman. In order to let them live, you have to bring them pain, something I do not enjoy doing."

He had to admit, he didn't like the smile she gave him when she spoke of harvesting dead people, given the obvious misconception she had about people, but it didn't matter much. What she did was of no consequence to him. For amusement, he also decided to keep the conversation going. "Forgive me, my lady, I had no idea your scythe could prove so useful. Pray forgive my ignorance."

All in all, this was simply an amusing game for Tacita. He didn't truly feel bad, nor did he truly act like this under normal circumstances, but it was fun to act every now and again.

SillyMissMilly

[TheMeg00]

Anger is like fire. . .
It burns it all clean

Dezra Reiloch

As soon as he spoke, Dezra regretted waking him. In fact, she was uncertain of what had driven her to make such a silly move in the first place. Nostalgia, she supposed – he was, at the very least, something familiar. As the man stood, she took a small step back, her neck craning upwards a bit to look at him. Still, regardless of the dramatic height difference, she kept that steady, confident expression. Xadrian had never been a threatening figure to her. On the contrary, she found him entertaining to mess with, like a kid brother of sorts.

“On second thought, a Thaal may be too good for you,” Dezra stated simply as he finished poking fun at her height. He knew how much she hated it when he called her Dezzy, and yet he did it anyway for precisely that reason.

She was silent for a long moment after that, unsure of exactly what to say. He may have some good retort anyway, though she doubted it. She glanced back at the chairs once more, and for a split second that anger resurged in her. She calmed it back down quickly enough, and moved to lean back against the wall next to him instead, her arms crossing in front of her once more as she took another inventory of those within the room. “We seem to be better off than last time, at least,” she muttered more to herself than to him. Then, remembering her company, she spoke up a little, though her gaze stared straight ahead. “Those old recluses refuse to listen to any sort of reason. They have the idea that doing the same thing twice will yield different results.” Dezra took another of those calming breaths.

“And I don’t know what they were thinking, inviting you along. Seems like all common sense has gone right out the window with those old bats.” She was trying her best to make light of the situation, at least around Xadrian. It was a little strained and abnormal for her, but she was hoping that he wouldn’t catch on to the fact that she was doing it almost solely as a deflection scheme. She was uncomfortable being here again, angered by the elders, and considering the newcomers like so many freshly dug graves. The fact that he was among them bothered her more than she cared to admit. Strangers were easier to deal with.

Aladoran Elemental
Keeper of Fire

[Sin and Sacrifice]

Let the Fire consume me
Let the Fire burn!
Let the curse flow through me
Let the Fire burn!!

Masao Reyen

"Ah... Narran... How I detest thee..."

The hooded figure mumbled this single sentence to himself as he slowly passed through what was once the glowing city of Narran, now only a shell of it's former self. There was nothing bright about it; bright smiles had turned to scowls and frowns, glorified buildings now darkened with grief or destroyed altogether, flourishing plant life now dead and long wilted. Masao took none of this to heart, his hatred for civilization and people in general would surely never change.

As he walked, the memories of why he was here came flooding back. The previous party and it's grim ending. His year long training with his comrade fire elemental, Dezra, one of few people who's company he enjoyed. And the summoning from a messenger that somehow found him in his meditation in the forest. Of course he was not surprised, he and Dezra had long expected to be called upon again, such was the reason for their extended training regiment. Though truthfully he had never idea whether the fellow fire elemental had been summoned or not; it had been something near a month since they had parted ways to complete their own separate training.

Masao finally brought himself from his thoughts as his maroon eyes raised slightly enough to see he had arrived. With a mustered sigh, the young man pushed open the large doors before him and entered the large Grand Hall. Not much had changed about him since last entering this room; he still bore the same light leather armor with tattered fabric from his lower back down to the back of his knees and another strand at his neck that acted as a scarf for windy weather in the desert. His katana still hung at his left hip, the hilt just nearly grazing the ground as he walked. The only additions was a matching fabric he had woven into a hood for additional protection from the weather and a pack at his right for the few supplies he needed. Currently both his hood and scarf were in place, leaving only the bridge of his nose and eyes visible if he were actually looking to make eye contact.

After entering the Hall, Masao closed the doors behind him and then turned and headed towards the nearest empty section of wall. He took no time in seeing who else was here, though the sound of voices promised at least some company. The elemental removed the katana from his side and gently placed it against the wall next to where he chose to sit, a good distance away from any of the others. He then sat with his back towards the wall, though not quite touching, and crossed his legs while folding his arms. He closed his eyes and let out another sigh before relaxing and allowing himself to enter a meditative state. It took him far less time than most, but a life of seclusion allowed for this kind of focus.

The area around him quickly rose in temperature as his meditation began, those who do not enjoy heat would not enjoy his company at the time. His senses extended outward, and as they did so, picked up the energies of those in the room. So, 5 others had arrived already it seemed. Most were unfamiliar, but it was the one familiar energy that caused him to open his eyes and look in the direction it came from. The site of Dezra caused Masao's heart to sink slightly, not for having her company on the journey, but rather that she would be risking herself once more as he was. She was one of the few people in this world he cared for, and he had rather hoped that somehow they would overlook her, but deep down he knew better. She seemed to be conversing with a man Masao felt he recognized but couldn't place. Rather than gain her attention, Masao returned to his former state of meditation, keeping his mind clear and focused until either interrupted or the elder's arrival.

I pound the walls
I shake the cage
I will not fall
I will not fail!

Location: The Grand Hall
With: Everyone
OOC: Hello everyone! ^_^