You got lost, yes? Going Somewhere and lost your way. Turned a corner and now you say the things you see simply shouldn't be. The things you know just aren't there. You took a wrong turn, ended up in Elsewhere.
- Bill
Maybe not today, maybe not even yesterday or ten days ago, maybe it's been years, maybe decades, but at some point you lost yourself and found a whole new world - the world of Aelzwyr.
Here nothing is impossible and most of it is much more probable than you're used to things being. You see, Aelzwyr is made up of all kinds of different places and things. Lost places. Lost Things. Lost people from anywhere and anywhen can end up in Aelzwyr as she is a world of lost things, from everywhen and everywhere.
There are many ways to get here, magics and the like, but the most common is by getting lost - horribly, hopelessly, irrevocably lost. Then turn a corner, follow a breeze, chase an animal, wake up, or fall down and you're here.
Getting home is another matter entirely. It is said the Queen can return people to their home, 'find' them she calls it, but some doubt the validity of her claims and she does not find just anybody. However, there is no other known way to leave Aelzwyr and reliably get back to where, and when, you came from. Many have tried but most just end up in another part of Aelzwyr. Some go to other worlds or times only to find themselves back in Aelzwyr after a long and dangerous journey. A few have managed to leave and not come back but it is generally believed they died in some other world, as the next to try their method eventually comes back.
So most the people of this strange and magical land give up on going home after a few, or many, tries and find themselves a place in the complex patchwork of cultures in Aelzwyr. They forget the homes, lives, and loved ones they had before and make new ones in the cities, villages, and even wilderness that makes up this world.
But some never give up. You are one of those. You may be brand new and not yet aware of the futility of your quest or be well versed in failure and are just stubborn. Whatever the reason, your driving desire is to find your way home, wherever that may be.
Hopefully you will pick up some help from like minded people and have adventures along the way.
Updates
Mon, Feb 17, 2014: We're trying to get this thing running again so are taking on new characters and giving away abandoned ones!
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 8:08 am
RULES
"Usually you can get away with breaking a few rules. Sometimes you can completely maul the so called laws. But there's a few 'suggestions' that'll kill ya not to take."
These are the basic codes of conduct within Elsewhere. There are not many and they are very simple. Breaking these will have consequences.
1. Common Sense Don't be an idiot. Respect each other, respect the TOS, and respect guild rules. Don't mess it up for the rest of us, and try not to do anything that would upset other people. This is a GAME after all, we're here to have fun.
2. Control Don't control anyone else's character(s). Don't severely affect (maim, kill, etc) them without permission (of the player or with GM override). Don't go off on an insane killing spree (without permission). Don't mess up the plot/world. Basically use some measure of self control or pay the consequences (character death/player ban).
See Action section for specifics on how action is handled where combat and skill use is involved.
3. Literacy We write in third person, past tense, complete sentences. L33t speak, txt abbreviations, profuse slang, and generally bad grammar should not be used outside of dialog. We won't be grammar Nazis but do try to write above an 8th grade level.
Please do not color and/or bold dialog. It puts too much emphasis on dialog which, while important, should not be put above the rest of the text. In fact you would do well to read the non-dialog portions more closely than what lies between quotes, as those often tell lies.
Also every time I see "lol" in an RP I die a little inside and if you center align long blocks of text or use bright font colors I will kill your character.
4. Depth We'd like our characters to be as real as possible. Don't just give us a vague concept, have a fleshed out person with a rich background and personality to play and try to keep it somewhat believable. Because of this policy all characters must be approved by the GM before they can join the RP. See the Guidelines for more info.
5. Commitment We want dedicated players or at least to know how dedicated all our players are so we can pair them with other players of the same level. You will be asked for a commitment level on your character submission, take that seriously and give us the time you sign up for. See Commitment for more info on what we expect.
6. Dependability If you will be unable to keep your commitment please let anyone you have a scene with know ahead of time so they can get out of the scene if they would like to do something while you're gone. There is no formal punishment for failing to meet your commitment but frequent, repeated lapses in commitment will result in the lowering of your posted commitment level and your character going 'in the bag' (either played by the GM as an NPC or knocked unconscious/otherwise incapacitated).
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 8:14 am
COMMITMENT
"Never get out of the boat. Never. Not unless you're willing to go all the way."
Everyone has played games that started strong and just fell apart after a short time due to lack of/mismatched commitments (some players flood the boards but others only post once or twice a week). We want players willing to give us their time and effort to make this RP thrive but we also understand that not everyone is as addicted to RP as our GM.
In hopes of solving that we have developed a system of Commitment Levels. The Commitment Levels let other players know roughly how often they can expect you to post so characters of equal posting frequency can group and participate at their own pace without hindering, or rushing other players. We hope that by matching equal levels of participation everyone can play as much, or as little, as they want.
For this system to work we need a scale by which to measure levels of commitment. We've developed the following scale. Don't be intimidated by it. Choose a lower level to start with and if you end up posting more you can always change it (better to go up than down).
Note: Occasional lapses in commitment are understood but please give warning if you expect an extended absence. There is no formal punishment for failing to meet your commitment but frequent, repeated lapses in commitment will result in the lowering of your posted commitment level and your character going 'in the bag' (either played by the GM as an NPC or knocked unconscious/otherwise incapacitated). <- That's an old joke from a D&D game I ran years ago where one of the players kept flaking out and his character ended up spending most of the game stuffed in a Bag of Holding.
1. Hobbyist - This commitment comes with a few expectations but they are loose. You are expected to submit a character and make at least occasional (once a week-ish) posts for a minor role in the RP. You have a limit of 1 active character. This commitment is good for those that aren't sure how much of a commitment they can really make.
2. Gamer - We hope most our players can make this commitment. You are expected to submit a character, check/post every day-ish (5 days a week or more) and are allowed a major role in the RP. You can have 2 active characters. This is a good commitment if you can check/post to the RP daily.
3. Staff - Because every group needs leaders and that requires a higher level of commitment this is what we expect of our Staff. You are expected to submit a character, keep up with all storylines in the RP (not just the ones you are involved in), check/post to the board at least once a day and are allowed a leading role in the RP. You are also encouraged to participate in plot discussions and lead minor plot lines. You may have 3 active PCs, 1 of which may be a GM approved special and minor NPCs as needed. Staff must be approved by the GM and existing Staff.
4. GM - A throwback to old school RPG, the GM (Game Master) is the highest commitment one can make to an RP. The GM will check/post to the RP multiple times a day, read every post made to the RP (and associated threads), and be intimately familiar with all characters. The GM leads Plot Discussions and is ultimately responsible for producing, introducing, and driving plot lines as well as generating the world in which the RP takes place. The GM will post to the reference sections, write summaries, and make announcements. The GM's character is the world so there is no limit to the amount or kind of character the GM may have but they are mostly NPC's. The GM has final say in RP decisions.
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 8:38 am
ACTION
"So, you just hold it like this. Yeah. And then put the pointy end in the other person. Like this."
- Sir Alexander, Protector of the Innocent, Slayer of Bears, Keeper of the Juice, Rider of Lightning, Taster of the Dead
In a system without stats or dice, action in which failure might occur (combat and skill use) can be tricky. Here we use a system of attempt and result where the PC makes an attempt and the GM declares the result. Success of an attempt is based on several factors:
1) Plausibility: could the character logically succeed given stated skills on the character profile and past actions within the RP.
2) Writing: to encourage good writing, a well written attempt can push a borderline plausibility into success. Conversely, a poorly written attempt can push a borderline plausibility to fail.
3) Awesomeness: a clever, cool, humorous, or otherwise awesome attempt can push a borderline plausibility into success. A truly spectacular attempt can bend the laws of physics if well written.
4) Dice: the GM will occasionally use dice when other factors are not present to help decide the outcome.
5) Plot: some things will just happen (or not) for the sake of the plot. This should not be a common occurance but it may happen.
When to Do It This system should be used whenever there is a real chance of failure. Don't bother with things that should obviously succeed (archer hitting a haybale at short range) but do use it when:
1) The attempt could easily fail: archer hitting an apple off a tree at long range
2) Any combat situation: PvP or NPC
3) Other opposition: sneaking past guards, picking pockets
In all cases the GM dictates attempt results, especially PvP situations. This should lighten up as characters master skills and players become more established in the system.
How to Do It To make an attempt the player states an action with open ended vocabulary:
Quote:
Player: The squire made a desperate lunge with her sword, aiming for the bandit's heart. GM: In a feat of newly honed skill, or blind luck, the sword found its target and sank deep into the bandit's chest. Player: The squire smiled, pleased with her first kill, and jerked the sword back from the bandit's rib cage to turn on another with a slash of her bloodied blade.
Note the outcome is not stated by the Player, only the action. The GM follows with the result of the attempt and the Player then reacts with a new attempt. This example was decently plausible but slightly borderline due to the specific aim and moderate skill level of the PC. The attempt is properly written but neither particularly well nor poorly and there is no awesomeness to help tip the scales. Its result was decided with a die roll (I'll usually mention luck when that happens).
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:12 am
PLAYERS
"All the world's a stage and all it's men and women merely marks."
TookieLooCookies (Hobbyist) - Mavi - Dropped out Storm Aether (Gamer) - Jim McPherson - Dropped out dammedMule (Gamer) - Fredrick - Writer's blocked Dreaming_Ninja_2918 (Gamer) - Alana - MIA Giyari (Gamer) - Alice - MIA Thegoodsamaritan (Gamer) - Castor Kerberos - - MIA Mr. Blackbird Lore (Gamer) - Rüd Grülik - MIA Venom3001 (Gamer) - Linda 213, Skurk - MIA SirBayer (Gamer) - Quintus, Mac - MIA Jikial (Gamer) - Mad Sam - Dropped out Isa-sama (Gamer) - Alana - Dropped out
Upcoming:
KUDOS
This is a place to call out exceptional players and give thanks for awesomeness.
Jikial - for asking so many questions and helping sort out the world Ivaylo_sai - for being Staff and driving the plot along - even if that means using Alex Jikial - for asking permission to do awesome things and making them even more awesome in action Isa-sama - for picking up an abandoned character and keeping that scene alive
BLACKLIST
This is not a place you want to be.
Empty so far.
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:17 am
Character Guidelines
"Halt! No one sees The Queen without seeing me first."
All characters must be approved by the GM before they can join the RP. Follow these Guidelines to speed the approval process.
We are still accepting characters.
Note: The GM has the final say on all characters so following the guidelines helps get approval but does not guarantee it. Also GM's approval may allow you to bend some of the guides to make more interesting characters.
> Follow procedure: You must submit a Character Profile to the GM (by PM) to be approved. Use the Character Templates to build your profile. Blank submissions will not be accepted. Holes in the character submission are expected but be prepared for the GM to make suggestions for improvement. Holes in the final profile are not suggested as the GM will make stuff up to fill them and you might not like it.
> Fit into the world: Read the world information and make sure your character fits into it. Aelzwyr is a -very- open world so most anything can be found there but you need to be mindful of Gaia's TOS. Also, you need to be mindful of Aelzwry's own culture and politics. This may be a patchwork world of lost things from other places but the people here have to live together so they have formed cities, governments, factions, and clans. If you don't want to mess with all that just be new.
> Fit into the group: Read over existing characters and create yours with them in mind so you can fit into the group. You may want to contact some of the players and discuss possible character ideas to make the best fit. Though individuality and uniqueness is appreciated too much of it can make it difficult for your character to interact with others thus ending up alone (which is no fun).
> Start Small: Most people like powerful characters and in a low rules system such as this it's always tempting to try and start off with demigod powers but we greatly discourage that. The vast majority of the world's population is normal(ish), weak, frail, and vulnerable so everyone is required to start with less than epic characters. As the RP advances characters can (and should) grow in power but for the most part they should start fairly weak. More active players will be allowed GM approved 'special' characters that are outside the normal starting standards but even they shouldn't be overwelmingly powerful.
Note: Given the collect all nature of Aelzwyr we are allowing imported characters - those that come from existing sources (other RPs or stories). However we will not allow fan or cannon characters. Let's be original folks.
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:21 am
Character Templates
"Just a few forms to fill out, nothing major, just so we can keep a census. Taxes and all."
I like a lot of detail in characters but don't expect it all up front so there are two versions of the Character Template here. The first is for submission, what you fill out to join the RP. The second is to be filled out once the character idea is approved. Some characters may even have a third version, which is the hidden truth behind the lies they may tell on the public sheets.
Submission Template
Copy/paste the code into a PM titled "Character Submission" then fill it out and send to the GM to submit your character. Treat the tableau like a writing sample but be concise with the rest. Also keep in mind the tone of the world. This is not high fantasy so don't be verbose and archaic. The tone is post-modern: straight-forward, irreverent, and a little dark.
Note You may skip this step if you would rather fill out the full profile for submission but be prepared for changes.
[size=17]Outline[/size] [b] Describe the basic outline of the character: who they are, what they do, how they got here.[/b]
[size=17]Plotline[/size] [b] Do you have any goals in mind for your character? Explain:
Also choose a Plotline to join from the below.[/b]
[size=17]Tableau[/size] [b] Write a brief scene introducing your character.[/b]
Plotlines
Given that the other players are reaching plot (or MIA), I am asking for a more specific plotline on the submissions now.
First a little history. Elsewhere is a very large, very old, multifacted plot that has been running for over two decades elsewhere - starting as a children's story, then a tabletop game, and eventually migrating to online play. Nearly all the NPCs here were at one time PCs brought in from other worlds and their exploits have shaped Aelzwyr into what it is today. Your characters have the chance to be a part of this legacy if you chose to make your mark.
This is done by simply doing things in the world. I've provided a list below of some of the more common things that have been done before but feel free to come up with your own ideas.
Lost: The simple task of self discovery and being a stranger in a strange land. This plotline focuses on exploring the character and the world generally avoiding the larger plotlines. This requires a minimum of commitment and is generally a good place to start as this can easily lead to any of the others but does not have to. If you chose this one please indicate which plotline you would like to progress into if not staying Lost.
Plots to go from there:
What is Right: Getting caught up with the Order of Right (see purple scene) generally puts the character in a fairly traditional errand quest string in which they are given the opportunity to explore the upper class of Aelzwyr and expand their own abilities in knightliness. It may eventually progress into questioning the morality of these actions and the Order in general or it may lead to zealously championing their cause against the heretics.
Fascinating: Getting caught up with the Wizard (see blue scene) generally puts the character in a similar situation as the Order only with the Mages Guild thus focusing on magic and scholarly pursuits. It may eventually progress into the discovery of ancient secrets that bring all of reality into question or take a more political route and follow the power plays between the Guild, Order, and Queen.
Underworld: Getting caught up with any number of Aelzwyr's seedy elements generally leads to a romp through her lower class in much the same errand string as the Order and Guild but focusing on stealth, cunning, and dexterity skill sets. This may eventually progress into robin-hood justice, treasure hunting, or a total fall into the black and any of these may culminate into a plunge into the deep secrets of Elsewhere.
All of the above have the potential to lead up to the below:
Champion: Getting caught up with one of the Nine (see brown and green scenes) plunges the character into the depths of major plotline and requires heavy (daily) commitment. As a Champion, or companion to one, the character will be granted 'blessings' but lose freedom and must do their Lord/Lady's bidding. This bidding will depend on the nature of the God/dess to which the character is bound and may range from helpful errands to horrible atrocities.
Demons: Getting caught up with Aelzwyr's demons can have dire consequences but if you manage to survive and befriend or (more likely) barter with them you will find yourself at odds with the Nine and their champions. The demons have their own 'blessings' to give and provide a more hands on support in general so this is not a lost cause. This is also not necessarily an evil path as the demons are more about overthrowing the Gods than being truly evil, depending on which one(s) you come across.
Grey: On neither side of the major conflict you might choose to champion the people instead, or maybe a selfish cause, possibly even play both sides (at your own risk). Not aligning with but being aware of the undercurrents of the major conflict allows you the greatest free will but none of the 'blessings' of throwing in for a cause.
These options may lead to:
The Higher Cause: The ultimate plot beyond the petty squabbles of mortals and gods.
Profile Template
Copy/paste the code into a PM titled "Character Profile" then fill it out and send to the GM once your character has been accepted. The GM may require edits to some details to make them fit the world. Once the character is finalized you may post it in the Character Thread. The GM will post a summary and link to it.
[size=17]Basics[/size] [b] Full Name:[/b] [Character's Full Name] [b] Alias:[/b] [If applicable] [b] Age:[/b] [Between racial equivalents for 16 to 50] [b] Gender:[/b] [b] Nationality:[/b] [where you are from, include the world] [b] Ethnicity:[/b] [race]
[size=17]Ability[/size] [b] Strengths:[/b] [what you're generally good at] [b] Weaknesses:[/b] [what you're generally bad at] [b] Skills:[/b] [specific things you can do well] [b] Special:[/b] [special skills/attributes]
[size=17]Background[/size] [b] Occupation:[/b] [what you do for a living] [b] Family:[/b] [b] Hometown:[/b] [b] Friends/Pets:[/b] [b] History:[/b] [b] How you got to Aelzwyr:[/b]
[size=17]Plotline[/size] [b] Do you have any goals in mind for your character? Explain:
Also choose a Plotline to join from the above.[/b]
[size=17]Tableau[/size] [b] Write a brief scene introducing your character.[/b]
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:25 am
Characters
"No one is from here. Everyone's lost in Aelzwyr, just some more than others."
The people of Aelzwyr are many and varied, here are but a few. See the World Reference for a more complete list of NPCs and the Character Thread for more detailed PC profiles.
Active Player Characters
This is where the GM will post approved character summaries and link to profiles.
Put in your application or choose one of the characters below.
Inactive Player Characters
These are characters that have been abandoned by their players. If you want to join Elsewhere please consider adopting one of these.
Alana Trace Created by: Dreaming_Ninja_2918 Played by: Isa-sama Commitment:
Alana's head banged loudly against the glass of the window. Had she been dazing off again? She consistently glanced toward the front of the train to be sure she hadn't missed her stop. She felt as if she had been on the train for so long, but it had only been 20 minutes or so since she had gotten on. How much longer? she thought. Her eyelids drooped so low that she had trouble peering through her dark eyelashes. It had been days since Alana had gotten a full night of sleep since her brother, Derek, had been laid off and she had to take a second shift at the restaurant she worked at. She couldn't keep her eyes open for any longer, and before she knew it she slipped into a deep sleep.
Alana opened her eyes slowly, then abruptly stood up when she remembered she was still on the train. But it had stopped and no one was inside it, including the train operator. Had she been forgotten? Did the operator leave the train without knowing she was still inside? No, was she on the same train? It seemed cleaner. The seats were softer and the paint was fresh. It was definitely not the same train as before. The bag she had with her was gone, but she assumed it had been stolen. It didn't anger her though, all it had in it was ten dollars and her phone. Her phone! She darted to nearest open door. When she stepped out she looked up in awe. Alana knew instantly that she wasn't in Chicago anymore when she saw a large sign that read "Welcome to Aelzwyr".
A droplet of sweat cut a shining river down Mad Sam's face, ending with a disappearing act into his mouth. This elf was a hard sell.
"It's just a doodad really, a gizmo," Mad Sam said as he plucked the brass bauble out of the hand of the elf, "this spherical memory encapsulator is a child's plaything really." Sam smirked as he turned around, he was making it all up really. He couldn't remember what this brass ball was so it could be anything. One thing he did know was that it had magic, and he knew the elf knew that too.
"That's not a memory encapsu" the elf stumbled on Sam's made up word, "encapsulator."
Sam turned with ferocity to face the elf, letting his left eye bug out of his skull and scrunching his face up, "Well then what is it smartypants?"
The elf responded, taken aback, "it's used for finding your way!"
Sam took a look around, maintaining his face and gruff voice, "Well do you know where we are now?"
The elf mimicked Sam and answered, "well, no..."
Sam interrupted, "and where is it you're headed?"
"A-Atalan..."
"Well you're not gettin' there from here without this!" Sam held the brass ball to the elf and the elf took it readily.
Sam's face entered content, "That'll be a quid!"
The elf mumbled digging through his satchel before handing over the payment. Sam laughed and started pulling his cart towards the distance. It was only a few minutes after the elf disappeared from sight that Sam realized he had sold his only method of navigation. He laughed.
"Well, there goes my map." Marfolious brought a hand up to his face to shield his eyes from the blazing sun as he watched his map get carried away by a particularly strong gust of wind. "Oh well, there's no point in crying about it. But old man Hennskraster might." He laughed to himself. "In any case, if I want to find out where I am..." He turned around and began to walk to a nearby cliff. Placing a leather-gloved hand on the rocks, he looked up. "The only way to go is up." He cracked his knuckles and began his ascent up the jagged, rock face.
This was the life.
Climbing up the cliff, adrenaline pumping, sun beating down on his back, wind in his face, there was no greater sensation than the feeling of an adventure. Free as a bird, he could go anywhere he wanted, so long as he was able to survive it. But that was part of the fun, wasn't it? He looked up the rock face. He could see the dust blowing off the top of the cliff. "Almost... there, just a few-" Crack. The rock he had his foot on broke right off the rock face.
Pft, as if that was a problem. Supporting himself with his other hand, he immediately reached into his satchel and brought out a sharp pickaxe. With his legs dangling, he jammed the spiked end into the cliff side and tugged on it to make sure it was secure. He felt out a pair of deep juts in the rock face for his feet, and dug in. When he was sure the rock wouldn't crumble, he put away his pickaxe and began climbing once again. When he reached the top, he looked over his surroundings. He could see his destination, an old, crumbling fortress.
"Great. Now I just need to keep moving-" His sentence was cut off by a massive gust of wind blowing by. At these speeds, he'd be blown right off the cliff. Over to his left, he spotted a small cave. "Hopefully the residents won't mind..." He got down low and began to make his way over. But fate would not have it so. Out of the corner of his eye, something brown was headed towards him. He immediately picked up his pace, it could be a bird of prey or- WHAP. It smacked him in the face and he was sent flying off the cliff. He pulled it off and looked at it.
It was his map. He laughed uproariously at the sheer irony of the situation, but everything went black when he slammed into solid rock.
When he awoke, he felt... heavy. And... fine? What? He sat upright. "That's ridiculous. I just fell- what?" He leaped to his feet. The desolate cliffs were nowhere to be scene. Instead, he found himself standing in shallow water. His clothes were completely soaked. He looked around, taking in the environment. "What in blazes...?" He scowled, disapproving of his own conduct. This wasn't like him. He pulled out his journal and charcoal and began making sketches and notes of everything around him. Once he finished up, he stretched and grinned cheekily. "I've got no idea where I am. That's the best kind of adventure there is!" He turned to face the ocean. "Adventure, HOOOooooo boy." Instead of tranquil waters, he saw a massive tidal wave coming towards the shore. Along with it, an ominous, rumbling sound. The sky was getting dark, and he could see flashes of lightning in the distance.
"That can't be good."
Fredrick Mason Played by: dammed Mule Commitment: Hiatus
"You FOOL!! This time you have gone too far! I take the time and effort to raise you and train you! To feed you and clothe you! And you throw it all back in my face with your foolish behaviour. I don't see why I should bother to continue your training.” Fredrick's face went pale as his master continued to scold him. The “demon” that he had summoned towered behind his master, glowering at him without blinking.
”No! Please! Anything but that! If you throw me out that no one will take me and I won't be able to keep learning magic and it's too late to try and learn a different trade and I would never be able to get a job worth anything and my life would be over.” Pausing for a breath, he opened his mouth a second time to continue, but when he went to talk, nothing came out. With only one finger pointed at him, he had been silenced by his master's spell. He hadn't even spoke it.
”Enough! Enough. What will I do with you then? Hmm.” Leaving Fredrick under the watch of his familiar, the old mage turned to leaf through his book for a set of spells. It took a little less than a minute, but to the terrified Fredrick, it might as well have been an hour. With his book in hand, the old master threw a much smaller book at Fredrick, who caught it with both hands. Because of this, he never even noticed the magic circle below his feet until it was too late to get out of it. With a shout in the arcane language, Fredrick was rooted to the spot in the center of the circle.
His master continued the spell, reading parts of it from the book, creating parts where it was needed. Fredrick could feel the power of the spell, his hair crackling with energy and his clothes rippling in the winds of it. He was scared. He didn't know what this spell was intended to do, but the one thing that he knew before it finished was that this was the most powerful spell he had ever seen his master do before. Shouting seven of the ten grand arcane marks, there was a blinding flash and a loud bang. Collapsing to the floor with fatigue, the old mage looked at the now smoking circle. Nowhere to be seen was his apprentice.
In a quiet corner of Top city, an alley between two imposing buildings, a small spot of light appeared. It faded in slowly as could be noticed without disturbing its surroundings, but it was followed by a noise, a gentle hum of ‘something’. The hum was quite pleasant and melodic, hitting harmonies and notes as it seeped into the background, the light however didn’t fade as cautiously and instead just shut off, plunging the alley back into a dim murk once again.
Silently, there was a pulse, a short soft burst of light again; it faded in, and out, again and again, each time growing slightly stronger, each time forming more of a shape, and each time it lasted a little longer and after a minute or so a noticeable form was visible inside the pulsing glare, gaining a more defined shape as the pulses quickened into a soft strobe. Long dancing hair, slender limbs, petite features gracing the now apparent body of a young woman. She looked delicate, like one touch to her light blue translucent skin would cause her to shatter into glittering dust.
One final bright flash erupted from the body as the form was seemingly completed, all that was the frozen floating body, glowing very lightly with hair catching a non-existent wind being it’s only movement. The gentle hum floating through the background increased in volume as what was almost words drifted between the notes, the body twitched, fingers tightening lightly as it reacted to the noises.
There was one final flash, the humming stopped on one word ‘Alice’ and drifted out from the alley, the body’s eyes opened in reaction. It was awake.
Without a single noise the body drifted out of the alley, floating aimlessly towards the busy streets of Top City.
Mavi Kralik Played by: TookieLooCookies Commitment: Hiatus
Mavi slowly opened her eyes and braced herself for the sting of the bright morning sun. She was surprised to find not a bright, open sky, but a canopy of leaves shadowing over her. It didn't take her long to realize that this was not the open field that she had fallen asleep in, but a thick forest. "Pyrinda..." she said softly, as she turned to her side where she had expected to find her friend, but instead found only the forest floor, adorned with dry leaves. "Pyrinda?" She sat up and stated the name of her friend a little louder. Panic began to surface as she looked around. There was no sight of the pink-haired Konjinian girl anywhere.
Mavi's long, blue ears drooped as low as they could. "Pyrinda!" she finally yelled out. "Are you there?" Mavi started to believe that Pyrinda wasn't there at all, but she wouldn't allow such thoughts to arise in a time of panic and confusion. She stood up and did what she did best: ran. By instinct, Mavi started to run past the enormous trees; her head turning in every direction, desperately searching for her friend. She called out Pyrinda's name every once in a while, stopping her pace to listen for an awnser.
Hours passed and there was still no sign of Pyrinda. Mavi slouched against a tree and tried to catch her breath. She sized up the situation; after she had fallen asleep, somehow she'd been magically "transported" to this forest in the middle of God-knows-where. Obviously, her friend had not; which raised some alarming questions: 'Is she still back in the field where they had slept? Was she transported somewhere else? Is she looking for me? Could she have been here?' Mavi started to feel so helpless and scared. She slid down to the ground and buried her face in her hat. The tears began to flow out of Mavi's emerald-colored eyes as if a dam had exploded and now there was only a flood of awful, heartbreaking sobs. 'How the hell did this happen?'
Rüd Grülik Played by: Mr. Blackbird Lore Commitment: Gamer
Klaxons blaring awoke YSS Genesis's Chief of Security. He had his feet booted in two heartbeats, and was out of his room in four; his roommate had barely begun to stir. Being so small, the Genesis could be walked stern (cafeteria) to prow (hangar) in fifteen to twenty minutes. Rüd Grülik needed to cover only a sixth of that to reach the Bridge. As he came to the door, the ship was rocked. The Nightwalker nearly fell to the floor as the ship went one way and inertia sent him another. After regaining his footing, he made his way inside. The Bridge was a flurry of activity and chatter. He did his best to stay out of the way while seeking Larai-Taii: the ship's second-in-command. He found the blond man standing off to one side, watching everyone passively. Upon sighting the Nightwalker, Seth Larai offered an explanation and an order. "We're under attack. Organize an evacuation."
"Sir!" Rüd bellowed and turned on his heels. He had jogged to the Bridge; now he sprinted to the port living quarters and began herding his colleagues out of their rooms and to the escape pods. Other than the occasional shake, the ship seemed to be doing well, and all of the port side was swiftly cleared. He headed to the starboard side of the ship to make sure everyone was out. The security chief had crossed the hall and was about to start shouting for a roll call when the elevator at the head of the starboard dormitories erupted. It was immediately succeeded by a great gasp as space inhaled as much of the artificial atmosphere as quickly as it could. The Nightwalker was picked up off his feet and pulled toward this great opening only to be simultaneously saved and abused by a bulkhead slamming shut before him. He struck the bulkhead like a dumbbell, his face saved any serious trauma by a thick forearm. For the second time he nearly fell on his a**, but managed a recovery. The entire starboard wing was cut off; none of them would make it, he realized. It was time to go.
Rüd hauled a** to the port stairwell, went down one level, and ran as fast as his musclebound legs would allow to the nearest escape pod. Next came the moral dilemma: wait, or launch? In total the four-armed man spent a minute and a half debating this topic before finally ejecting the escape pod. And not a moment too soon.
The escape pod put him on a course for the nearest planet, which happened to be uncharted but possessing an adequate atmosphere according to the pod's primitive sensors. He would have arrived in a matter of hours if the Genesis had exploded just a couple minutes later. As it stood, the detonation of the nuclear-powered core sent the Chief of Security's escape pod careening wildly through the void. There was no chance to correct his path, only smooth out the wild spin and hope he landed somewhere safe.
Six days of solitude ensued. Solitude was easy to deal with. The confined space was not. Thankfully there was enough room to exercise, which would tire him out and keep his mind unfocused. Thinking about his dilemma would have only worsened matters. Even so, his mental state debilitated. He became increasingly anxious and fidgety. Sleep was becoming more of an irritant than a relaxant.
On the sixth day, the pod rattled. Unsecured, Rüd rolled about the interior, but miraculously broke nothing. That the pod's computer had not alerted him to impact was alarming; that it had not even registered an approaching cosmic body or atmosphere was even more disconcerting. He had to wonder if he'd landed or just been hit. When the terminal announced that, "It is now safe to exit the pod. Please step carefully as the pod exit is currently angled forty-five degrees upward from the surface," he found himself questioning the validity of the statement. Still: what was there to lose?
Rüd popped the hatch, and flinched, expecting vacuum. Instead, cool air caressed his fingers, his wrist. He was safe. He had landed.
The assault rifle spat out a pair of three-round bursts. Each one hit its mark, dropping wounded opfors to the ground before they could reach the rooftop's sparse cover. Her barrier was taxing on her though, and she wasn't sure how long she could hold the magical protection at this rate.
The answer, it turned out, was "Until you take a round to the shoulder from the next building over." As Linda processed this, she stumbled back. Her squad's members dragged her behind an air conditioning unit as the barrier died out and her much less skilled lieutenant covered the movement. As their extraction came, Linda fought desperately for breath. It surely shouldn't be so hard to breathe, right? And it was so dark, and her field of vision felt so narrow....
Linda was not conscious when their V/STOL extraction came and the soldier carrying her took a round at the edge of the roof, sending her tumbling and throwing Linda's body off the edge.
When Linda awakened, it happened slowly and laboriously. She groaned, as all of her joints felt like they were more or less made of aches. She opened her eyes and saw nothing but the familiar layer of smog- wait, no, that... purple? That couldn't be right. Her efforts to reboot her HUD to resolve the apparent hue shift were to no avail. A second effort, producing a similar lack of response, led her to wonder what exactly had gone wrong. Her eyes moved back and forth. Nothing but that blue. She tried to move her neck, but the soreness rapidly killed that notion.
Instead, Linda decided to concentrate on the strange softness behind her head. It didn't feel like the padding her helmet normally did, she thought. Had her helmet been compromised? Were her brains leaking out of her skull and she just didn't realize it yet? She fell back asleep. It would resolve itself soon enough, either way, she'd bet.
The same purple "sky" greeted Linda upon her awakening. This time she managed to turn her head andHOLYSHITWHATISTHAT!? She was surrounded by small green... needles, but wide. Rods, but narrow. Blades, but not sharp enough to cut. She immediately jumped to her feet, felt her head and realized her helm was missing, and spun in panicked circles at her unfamiliar surroundings. What IS this...?
It was a case like any other. Some rich family's daughter goes slumming and disappears without a trace. No ransom. No clues. The police don't care. Jim took the case expecting the girl to turn up in a gutter somewhere raped and full of drugs, to be mistaken for a hooker and disposed of. He didn't expect to end up chasing shadows all the way to the old Jack Nut distillery on the edge of town.
Sitting in his black coupe looking out at the boarded-up five-story building, Jim couldn't shake the feeling he had been lead here. It was too easy. That lead was too obvious, and too shaky. It should have been a dead end, but it wasn't. The car door creaked open, and a single long, powerful leg swung out onto the ground. Then another. Finally, the tall, sturdy frame of Jim McPherson emerged from the tinted windows of his car into the cold, dark night.
With a glance at the surrounding area, Jim reached back into the car and retrieved his fedora to guard his aging head against the cold breeze. Walking down the drive towards the ominous structure before him, he lit a cigarette to ease his mind. It was then--in the flash of sparks from his lighter--that he saw it: A glint of steel in a second-story window. It was a trap.
His coat whirling behind him, he spun to retreat, but it was too late. A freight truck roared to life and smashed his puny car off the road long before he could reach it. A small fleet of sedans screeched into the drive, the men inside bearing guns on the lone investigator. Armed men appeared in the factory windows, and bursting forth from the front door, all aiming guns at Jim.
As the noise died down, the echo of a slow clap could be heard from within the distillery. The source, a well-dressed, middle-aged man emerged. The gangsters nearest the door made way for him. "Just as I expected, Detective McPherson. Followed the smell of cheese right into the rat trap. You just can't resist, can you?" The mysterious man taunted arrogantly.
The filter of a cigarette was crushed between clenching teeth. "Bernatelli. Don't think this over." The detective announced grimly in a gritty baritone. "Still think you're going to lock me up? Even if you could, I'd be out in days," the rival replied. "I'm not gonna send you to jail, Bernatelli. I'm gonna send you to hell!" Jim shouted in reply, his cigarette falling limply from his lips as he reached into his coat for his gun.
The ground was illuminated when the cigarette met the asphalt in a shower of sparks, reflecting the burning barrels that flashed when Inspector McPherson met Boss Bernatelli in a shower of bullets.
Rain, as always, was the constant in Lepcis Magna. Quintus stepped onto the sidewalk, glancing up and down the street. It was quieter than he’d expected, seeing as now was the hour when the night crowd came out. Street lamps illuminated the occasional passing car, each spitting droplets across pedestrians. In other words, it was a fairly ordinary evening, and it was time for Quintus to head home.
It took about two blocks of walking for Quintus to spot it, but it became pretty obvious pretty quickly: he was being followed. A large fellow in a military-style trench coat had closed to about thirty meters and was attempting to appear not to be looking at Quintus. This sort of behavior was generally associated with spooks who didn’t know their business, and given the size of this one, Quintus was guessing he was dumb muscle. That meant it’d be pretty easy to lose him, right?
Well, not quite. Another three blocks and the idiot was still right behind him, same guy, same direction. Even when Quintus led him around a single block twice. Ducking into buildings hadn’t worked - he’d waited outside - and losing him in traffic hadn’t worked - he’d somehow managed to weave through the cars - which left one last option: Direct confrontation. Quintus stopped on his heel, turned about, and looked dead at the man. This inspired less surprise than he’d hoped. In fact, the man seemed to have been waiting for it. He had a grin on his face. Not good. A car pulled to a stop next to him, loaded with men, and Quintus decided on a new plan: Run.
Away, however, was not part of his plan. Quintus charged straight into the trench-coated man, which the latter hadn’t anticipated. He fell, arms wheeling, while Quintus sped down the street, suddenly aware of gunfire and the distinctive “ping,” of bullets hitting metal. Turning a corner, Quintus spotted another car pulling up, this time manned by only one. Perfect. The door was only half open when Quintus vaulted the hood and smashed the door back onto his victim, stunning the man and allowing Quintus to toss him out. Sliding into the driver’s seat, Quintus floored the pedal, pealing out into a quick 180 on the wet road. The other vehicle turned in behind him, and Quintus pushed harder, speeding towards the outskirts of town.
For two or three hours this continued, the cars racing out of the city and onto the broken highways, forced to slow by the rough roads, until finally Quintus grew sick of the enemy being right behind him and pulled a sudden left into the sand. The other car stopped immediately, unwilling to brave the sand for fear of becoming stuck. Quintus gave that a chuckle. Silly of them not to chase. Two days later, Quintus came to the conclusion that the other car had had the right idea. At least they’d have just shot him instead of a death of dehydration. His last thought before collapsing to the sand was of regret.
He awoke with his face in water. In fact, that was what woke him up. Fresh water, on his face. In the desert? Impossible. Rolling onto his back, Quintus absorbed his surroundings. Well, this wasn’t anywhere he recognized. And if it was the afterlife, he was disappointed - he was still thirsty and covered in loose sand. Testing the water, Quintus determined it was fresh, and he’d rather die of disease than dehydration. Once he’d managed to sate his thirst, he stood up unsteadily. He still had his Colt, and he could walk, if only sort of. Time to find out where he was.
Castor Kerberos Played by: thegoodsamaritan Commitment: Hiatus
Castor jumped up, coughing and sputtering, half of his face wet from the puddle he was lying facedown in. He hacked the remaining water out of his lungs (he hoped), and sat back, looking about, panting heavily. His body felt so weak- his arms and legs were shaking uncontrollably, and his vision was hazy at best. As his vision returned, his mind kept conjuring more and more questions. He was in a forest of some sort- very green, very lush, and very wet. It seemed to have just rained, or something. Castor groaned, his head suddenly pounding, and he lay back on the spongy forest floor. This must have had something to do with channeling so much energy when he fought Magnus the Night--
His eyes snapped open. Magnus. The fool had started overdrafting from his Arcana- he would have destroyed half of the Shard if Castor hadn't reacted.
I wanted to move him... away from Ira. Away from Mishra. So he wouldn't hurt anyone else. And I started to do... something... with Ahura's Arcana. And then everything got bright, and... Castor turned on his side, closing his eyes in pain. A teleportation spell, perhaps? And I got caught up in it, somehow. A small flash distracted him, and he opened his eyes. Another flash, and he saw the cause. It was an Arcana, lying on its side, filled with still-smoldering ashes. Castor thought back- black flames, burning cold, a madly-grinning face--
Castor sat bolt-upright in revulsion, retreating from the Arcana. That was one of Magnus', one of his worst. Likely the one that drove him insane in the first place... The Arcana flashed again, and a tiny crack appeared in the vial. Another flash, and there was another crack in the vial. The cracks continued webbing across the vial, until the vial shattered, flying apart, then crumbled into dust, blowing away in the wind. Castor let out his breath in a massive sigh of relief- the Arcana broke. The contract was broken. Magnus was dead- Castor had won. Castor started to get up, looking down, his eye catching his reflection in the pond he had awoken in--
Castor froze. He stared at his reflection in the pool, dumbfounded, for it was not his face that was reflected. At least, not the face he remembered. The face was young- exceedingly young. Barely past puberty, he imagined. His various scars and marks- proof of his conquests, his honor- had been wiped clean, save for one, along his jawline. His father had given him that. He felt at his face, poking and prodding it, but no matter how he tried to manipulate his features, they stayed resolutely young.
He fell back again, sitting dumbstruck on the forest floor, processing all of this information. He was young again. Far too young. Especially for one of his station. He patted at his chest, feeling his bandolier, which was a relief. Relief turned to horror as he realized how light his bandolier felt, though not in a physical sense. As an adult, the power of the Arcana in his possession was always a comfortable magical pressure upon his chest. Considering his newfound age, this pressure should almost be oppressive now. Yet, he felt... nothing. He quickly started grabbing at each of the vials, trying to call upon each of them, only to be granted with silence in response, his movements growing ever more frantic. The worst came when he reached Ahura's- the vial was ashen and smoky, as though it had been thrown into a fire. Castor whimpered in frustration- the damn thing had been burnt out by his efforts.
"Ahura rakash'ka," he swore, wincing as he did so- not at the oath, but at the voice that issued it. Yet another reminder of his newfound, unwanted youth. He sighed, looking up at the forest canopy.
What the hell has happened to me...?
Skurk/The Runt Played by: Venom3001 Commitment: Gamer
Skurk swung the grappling hook three times and released it, sending it in a gentle arc to land on the guardrail of the ship. With a quiet grunt, he began climbing the rough rope, bare green-gray hands and feet easily raising his light frame, as well as his armor and his combat harness - both in black-dyed leather, stolen from a dwarven fortress. Atop the ship, he planted several packs of explosives with fuses of varying lengths made from his own special slow-burning string. He figured he had maybe three minutes before they started to blow. He then took a detour to the kitchens, where he began shoving all the meat he could find into the pouches that had held his explosives.
"Goblin!" Well, s**t. Skurk took off running, leaping from the floor to a table to atop a sailor's head, jumping off and throwing a smoke bomb as he went. An explosion went off at the front of the ship. Skurk was vaguely aware, in the back of his mind, that this meant he'd switched two of his fuses, but he wasn't in a position to think about the implications of that right now. He was, however, in a position to smear a sealing jelly over the openings of his harness compartments, waterproofing them in preparation for his only method of escape. As he reached the back of the boat and dove off, the entire ship went up in flames.
Skurk allowed himself a smile as he hit the water. This lasted approximately until he realized he had to swim back to shore, sneak through the human encampment, and get back to the goblins' obsidian tower.
It was going to be a long night. At least he had that food he stole...
Non-Player Characters
NPC profiles will be less detailed than PCs for the purpose of spoilers. See the World Reference for more NPCs.
Bill Name: William Robert de'Felis Alias: Bill the Cat Age: Adult Gender: Male Hair: Brown/black tabby with reddish underbelly Eyes: Green Skin: Fuzzy Height: 26 inches nose to tip of tail Weight: 9 lbs Build: Lithe but densely muscled Distinguishing Features: Notch missing from right ear. Oh, and he's a talking cat. Description: Though able to speak human language, Bill is still very much a cat. He is loyal to none, cryptic, coy, and occasionally sadistic but also gentle and capable of kindness when he's in the mood for it. Bill is known for guiding newcomers to Aelzwyr through this strange and often dangerous world, sometimes to their detriment but usually to a better place.
Traveler Name: ? Alias: Traveler Age: Adult Gender: Male Hair: Black with bright red tips (usually only the tips show) Eyes: Blindfolded Skin: Sickly pale Height: 6' even Weight: 160 lbs Build: Cloaked Distinguishing Features: Wrapped hands, blindfold, and cloak Description: Not much can be seen of this strange man that smells faintly of fresh fire and sometimes speaks in a dry whisper but he knows his way around the many parts of Aelzwyr and even speaks of other worlds as if he might have been there. Charismatic despite keeping most of his body covered, Traveler is known to help those in need though is it's not always clear just why.
Alex Name: Sir Alexander - Protector of the Innocent, Slayer of Bears, Keeper of the Juice, Rider of Lightning, Taster of the Dead, Knower of Directions, Leaper of Spikes, Destroyer of Aberrations, Liberator of the Impoverished, Tamer of the Eagle, and Tree-lover Alias: Sir Airhead Age: Young adult Gender: Male Hair: Long blond Eyes: Green Skin: Pale but not sickly so Height: 6' 2" Weight: 190 lbs without armor Build: Tall and muscular but not as bulky as the armor makes him look Distinguishing Features: Knight in shining armor with a somewhat vacant smile Description: Alex is, for lack of a better word, special. Childlike wonder mix with a strong drive to do what is right and seek justice in an often unjust world to create the perfect dupe.
Pango Name: Pango Alias: Squire Age: Youth Gender: Umm? Hair: Short cropped mousy blondish browninsh Eyes: Hazel Skin: Slightly tan but not much Height: 4' 8" Weight: 90 lbs wet Build: Skinny but agile Distinguishing Features: Bitter glare and clutched bag Description: An odd pairing with the gullible knight, Pango's job is to keep Alex out of trouble - and that's a full time effort.
Niko Name: Nikolai Bedier Alias: Niko Age: looks about 28 Gender: Male Hair: Dark, longish, and wild Eyes: Wolfish gold Skin: Deep tan Height: 6' 2" Weight: 190lbs Build: Lean, athletic Distinguishing Features: Black wolfish ears and tail kept well hidden Description: Lone gypsy/cowboy/samurai. Niko sometimes travels with Jim.
Jim Name: James Kirklan Alias: Jimbo Age: 32 Gender: Male Hair: Fiery red and curly Eyes: Honey brown Skin: Farmer's tan Height: 5' 5" Weight: 200lbs Build: Stocky and well muscled but with a bit of padding Distinguishing Features: Shortness and crude behavior Description: Gruff and scruffy little bear of a man with a fondness for brewing and local color, Jim is. . . something else. He's the sort of man you love despite yourself: none too bright but his heart is in the right place even if he don't know how to keep his mouth shut. Jim sometimes travels with Niko.
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:59 am
The Story So Far
Still accepting players. Submit your characters now!
Blue Scene - #000099 Alice appeared in a Top City back alley and scared some hobos which attacked but their weapons just went right through her so they cowed as a talking cat distracted her then lead the apparition away. The cat said he was taking her to see the Wizard which lead them to a run down shop that was more a cathedral on the inside, full of wondrous magic.
Red Scene - #990000 Alana stepped off the train in a strange new world and broke down a moment in the station until a cloaked man offered her a hand to help her up. . .
(working on summary)
Purple Scene - #660066 (Rüd starts in Green but shortly moves into Purple) After nearly simultaneously appearing near the forest's edge or within the forest a large group came together on a grassy slope in the Lemurian countryside. Fred was approached by Mad Sam while being sick from the breach but Sam was quickly distracted by the sudden appearance of Linda down the slope. Before long Rüd followed a dragon out of the forest to meet Sam and Linda while the sickly Fred was discovered by Alex and Pango, riding up the road. Once all were introduced and between Sam and Alex Babel Stones inserted, the group followed Alex toward Atalan for lunch and conversation. Sam stayed with the forest, leaving the group to the paladin and tripped in a breach to end up in the Brown Scene.
The rest of the group traveled to Atalan where they ordered food and drink at the Blackthorn Inn and had a nice meal with good company until a tidal wave threatened the city. . .
(working on summary)
Brown Scene - #996600 (pg 7) Quintus woke in a sprawling desert of seemingly endless sand trapped in an eternal night. He wandered, cold and alone, hallucinating some other strange, snowy place and a phantom wound for what seemed like miles though the alien moon and stars did not move in the sky overhead. Eventually he came to a stop at a colossal skeleton but was distracted by the sudden arrival of Mad Sam tumbling into the scene from a breach. Sam was sick a moment then presented Quintus with a language barrier before giving him a Babel Stone and watery fruit. Once understanding and briefly rested the two went to inspect the skeleton. Sam touched the skeleton and the world fell away to nothing until they found themselves in a new place. There a strange woman asked if they would be her Champions to find her Key and Sam almost immediately agreed but Quintus resisted. Eventually though Quintus gave half in, allowing Sam to be made Champion though he still doubted so, after some portentous gloating, the woman only marked Quintus then sent them both away.
The pair woke in a different desert and after a long walk followed scents and sounds to a camp of strange people - the native Faerin of the high deserts of Aelzwyr. The two then hatched a plan to crash the Faerin's party and thus did. They found however the camp's guards were less than friendly and were quite lucky to be saved by a strange, young noble who took a curious interest in the merchant and his 'guard' to invite them in and share his food and fire. The night was spent in pleasant conversation in which Sam convinced the young noble to invite them along to the Temple he was headed toward. The guards were not happy but the noble put his foot down so it was agreed. Then they went to tents for sleep and in the morning rejoined for the day's journey.
Green Scene - #006600 (pg 14) After Rüd left the forest returned to its usual quiet but with the day's passing there came another breach to drop three very different beings into its mists. Castor and Skurk were plunged into a lake and each struggled for shore only to have difficulties understanding each other. While finding a common language and discussing their situation the two were being watched by the mechanical Mac who had stumbled into the woods from his own world much as they. Mac remained hidden as they all noticed something moving toward them through the trees. A unicorn with a female rider approached as the others tensely hid and/or waited. Then a twig snap set the goblin to lobbing explosives which resulted in a premature bang, catching both Skurk and Castor in blast. . .
(working on summary)
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:28 am
Note: A 'breach' is a rip in the fabric of space and time through which things end up in Aelzwyr. It is invisible to most but some can see the effect of the temporary tear in the universe a breach causes. It is described in the scenes below for the purposes of introducing newcomers. Ask the GM permission if you would like to be able to see breaches.
Top City Back Alley (#000099)
Steam and soot from nearby factories clouded the air mixing with the smells of spiced cakes and sweet breads from the bakery and the sour tobacco and stale beer of the inn's tavern that framed this alley. Horse sweat from carriages in the streets and rotting garbage along the alley walls lent a complex bouquet to the lingering odor of the muddy backstreet. Hobos stood mumbling over a trashcan fire further down the alley. Their shadows danced along the walls from the flickering firelight leaving the rest of the alley feeling darker for its brightness against the misty twilight.
The side door of the tavern banged open suddenly cutting the white noise of the factories' churn, street's traffic, and hobos mumbling mantras. A busty bar maid grumbled about drunken customers as she lugged out a heavy bucket of dishwater then stumbled back, nearly toppling into the alley when a large, orkish bouncer came up behind and tossed one of those drunken customers face first into the alley's garbage.
"Yer not welcome at tha Spotted a** no more! Ya got that ya handsy, mongrel Glob" the bouncer sneered. The Glob, which appeared to be some sort of bloated octopus person thing in a rain coat (and just a rain coat), quivered and flailed rubbery tentacles stuttering a few protests as it caught its balance against the wall. The bouncer turned back to disappear into the tavern and the barmaid gave the Glob a hard glare then sloshed her bucket of dishwater onto him with a huff.
"That's fer tha grope" she snapped and turned sharply away from the dripping mess with a toss of her mossy hair. The Glob gasped and sputtered, trembling in the shock of the dirty water.
A scruffy little tabby cat watched from above as the barmaid slammed the door on the soaked Glob's face. Perched on the guard rail of the bakery's fire escape the cat watched disinterestedly as the drunk staggered off with grumbling threats at the trash and shadows he stumbled in. The cat was nearly hidden against the brownstone brick of the old New York City building. The wall behind him made perfect camouflage with its dappled and striped scorch marks from the fire that brought it here. The bakery was still selling sweet and sour breads despite the fire, just now to a different clientele.
The cat's striped tail flicked back and forth idly in time with the pulsing glow of the newly forming breach as he watched the dancing display of colored light. It was something so few could see, even in Aelzwyr, but Bill had watched many times in his long years here, watched and waited for whatever came out from the other side.
Outskirts of Indrikvald (#006600)
Fog hung low over the leaf strewn ground beneath the distant canopy of towering trees as blue butterflies fluttered between their smooth, silvery trunks. No wind stirred the fog but it seemed to breathe like a living thing, slowly curling, floating, wafting at the feet of giants. Mushrooms grew among their roots, some shelves climbed slick trunks, and fuzzy green moss carpeted the forest floor dampening the sound of any footfall to echo in this ancient wood.
No sound disturbed the peace of this primordial place as if taken back to a time before screaming things when life was still and quite and trees were kings. There was just a gentle rustle of shimmering leaves far above, like the tinkling jingle of tiny crystal bells. But the trees were not alone with their butterflies. A small red fox padded silently through the fog on her way to find food for her den of sleeping kits hidden in the trees' twisting roots. A great white stag left deep tracks in the mossy ground on his way to drink of the chill spring waters deeper in the forest. Varied birds slept in roosts high among the leaves, not yet waking to sing their chorus of trilling song.
It was morning in the unicorn's forest, not that any sun had risen but the trees were just waking. One by one the largest of the trees started to glow with an inner light that brightened to shining white leaves above but dulled at the pocked and gnarly roots below, half hidden in the breathing fog. Not all the trees glowed, only the oldest, leaving the smaller ones to create a dappled shade with their emerald leaves below the shining light of older trees.
But this was a common spectacle in Indrikvald. What wasn't so everyday was the unseen shimmering glow of a breach's aurora under this shining canopy.
Aelzwyr Express, Beimini Station (#990000)
A soft purple glow filtered in through the glass dome arching overhead augmented by the floating globes of dripping liquid light that hung in the air scattered throughout the station, just out of reach for most. Droplets of glittering light speckled the ground beneath them and tracked off in every direction on the footprints of those that walked below. And there were many of every shape, size, color, and kind that trailed that powdered glow.
The milling crowd at the station was a true sampling of the multiverse. An old woman waddled with her basket of fresh baked bread clutched in scaly arms. A young boy laughed, tail wagging happily as he chased a flitting fairy through the corridors. A centaur couple looked at the potted dryads ringing the station's fountain in disdain as an intelligent shade of blue played bebop jazz on the corner platform. Beings from everywhen and everywhere all gathered to take the Express anywhere in Aelzwyr. At least that's what the billboard on the back wall said, above an idyllic picture of a mirror lake somewhere on the upper plains, covered in blue and pink and yellow flowers.
A pleasant, disembodied voice announced the arrival of the 3:15 train in a soothing tone welcoming its passengers to the Redlight Isle as an antique train pulled up to the platform with a hissing spit of steam from its breaks and blaring whistle. The Aelzwyr Express was a sight to see with her gold trimmed passenger cars of deep cherry wood panels and a smoking steam engine of polished brass and red enamel. She rumbled to a stop and sighed the last of her steam before the brass handled doors swung op to let the crowd of passengers flood out and rush in.
A new sampling of the multiverse wandered out from the station to the market streets beyond. Tourists to see the sights, business folk in their busy routine, and wandering travelers alike mingled in the station plaza at the foot of the Embassy Casino Hotel's grand tower. A trio of white winged angels giggled together as they posed for a photo by a fountain featuring a large golden bull. A line of orange robbed monks handed out flowers and tranquil blessings to curious newcomers untroubled by the armored city guards. A Moorish prince lead his spirited white horse clopping over the cobblestone square past a smiling witch selling herbal potions from a cart across the fountain, all peacefully together in one place.
Paradise to some but just another day at Beimini station, except for the unseen dance of color in the back car of the 3:15 train.
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Giyari
Shirtless Ladykiller
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:24 pm
Alice Alice floated ever so lightly down the alley she had appeared into. She had yet to pay any attention to it though and for now was more interested in checking herself out. She ran her hands over her arms and face, grabbing at her hair the studying it as it ran through her fingers. Her skin was soft, warm and ever so slightly ticklish, yet her hair that was equally as soft had no feeling of its own.She didn't dwell on it long though as her attention quickly turned to her accessories, she seemed to be accompanied by a blue/green sash that floated around her body. The sash started just above her shoulders and ran above her chest then behind her back. It then spiraled down over her hips before spiraling down her left leg, and tapering out just past her foot. It wasn't quite touching her body, sticking to a few centimeters distance, and she seemed to have no control over how the sash moved. It was almost like the sash had a mind of it's own, It looked nice though! Carefully Alice pulled on it, but the sash didn't budge.
The soft light emanating from her body was enough to give definition to the mucky street that Alice was floating above. Her eyes darted everywhere, taking in all they could see, the patterns in the brick walls, the shimmering surface of oil stained puddles and wet cobblestones that lined a small section of the alley before it shifted into a more uniform concrete. There was so much here, for an alley that was probably largely forgotten even in Aelzwyr, there was so much to take in! Alice drifted silently forwards, sniffing the air to absorb some of the smells, the sugary and warm delight from the bakery, the sharp 'matured' smell of whatever it was that had been slung into the dumpsters, an alcoholic twinge to a few bottles left discarded in the gutter. there was just so much to take in!
Her face lit up with a beaming smile and wide eyes while she darted back and forth between the various things she wanted to check out, the darker toned blue of her hair swishing around behind as she floated through the air. But the orange colour of another light source slowed her movements, there was a movement further down the alley, shadows dancing around. The silk like sash quivered gracefully as Alice moved cautiously down the alley towards the unknown light, what would it look like? there was the odd dull lamp over a door every now and again, but they didn't interest her much. This bright glow and intriguing movement had her gripped.
Her slim figure approached a corner in the alley and stopped nervously at the last few inches. She could hear noises now, the unseen hobos talking over whatever it was hobos talked about, what they were saying was completely unknown to Alice, but the tones were interestingly varied. There was a hint of annoyance from one voice, laughter to another, then silence. "Hey, d'yi see that?" Said one of the voices. They were referring to the slight blue glow coming from the corner of the tavern, it seemed as if Alice wasn't as out of view as she first thought...
Without a sound or any more delay Alice decided that, by the sudden silence from the hobos, she should show herself. She turned the corner carefully only to be greeted the harsh light from the fire and some fairly perplexed looks under the wiry beards of the homeless alley inhabitants.
Aaahhhh! Ahh, gyuu? Gyaahaha!" Alice cheered in some nonsense sounds of excitement as she circled the trashcan fire and the three figures, her hair streamed out with her speed and her arms stretched out with her body going into some corkscrews as she floated carelessly through the air. The hobos just stared on with mixed reactions, one of them froze, he looked like he had seen a ghost. The shorter one of the three had a look of sheer confusion at the events, and the tallest of the three looked like an adolescent that had successfully snuck into a strip club, a mix of joy and wonder as the sight of the alluring figure circling around them.
Alice was fascinated! They all looked so different, they were all scruffy yet also unique, each had different coloured hair, different shaped and even a different scent! She circled a few times more before letting out another burst of nonsensical noise and started to look over each hobo in more detail.
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 7:06 pm
Giyari
(just so you'll get notified)
[Good, strong start. I like the innocent wonder and ADD curiosity you've given her. Your description is inventive and your diction colorful. I love the interaction with the hobos and how you made each one unique. Just a few suggestions to go back and fix some of the grammar. The beginning of every sentence should be capitalized, ellipsis (. . .) should not be used, use exclamation marks sparingly, be sure to put a full space between paragraphs, try to use a descriptive identifier between every few uses of a pronoun (use 'the sash' a few times instead of 'it'), and try not to repeat the same verb or descriptor within a single sentence (unless for intentional effect). Also read over your post, preferably aloud, once it's done and fix any mistakes you find. This will help catch typos and misused words as well as improve the flow of your writing. The more you read over and edit it the better it will be.]
The hobos stared at the floating apparition in varying states of shock as she flitted about the alley, circling them and making strange, excited girl noises. The shortest, a stocky little man with fuzzy reddish eyebrows like furry caterpillars on his face, blinked several times then rubbed his face and blinked again at the girl, turning in place to keep dull brown eyes on her.
"Uuuh, uuh, Barney. Jeremy. You see that?" the short man shifted a bit nervously watching the glowing girl float by him again.
The tallest one had his eyes glued to her and didn't seem to have heard but the other nodded as he edged away from the girl. "I see it, Gary. See it good," he mumbled reaching back for a pipe that leaned against the wall behind him. The rickety old man hardly looked capable of picking the thing up let alone swinging it but he reached for the pipe all the same.
Gary blinked at the motion and raised fuzzy brows with a worried frown, "Wut you thinkin, Jer? Pipe en't do nuthin ta no ghost" he hissed a whisper and the older man just shushed him. Then both looked to the glowing girl to see if she'd noticed their exchange.
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dammedMule
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:38 am
Fredrick Mason Out in the slopes of Lemuria, Fredrick rolled over onto his stomach and ungracefully threw up into a ditch on the edge of the path he was lying on. This continued for a few minutes until he had completely emptied his lunch as well as breakfast onto the mud and was able to contain himself. Without moving from the ground, he mentally ran a check to see how bad his condition was. He was in a lot of pain, so he wasn’t dead unless the dead had a twisted sense of humour. On the other hand, he was in a lot of pain which was for a lack of better words, painful. It felt like he had been squeezed through a hand mill with the throbbing pain mostly concentrated around his head and muscles.
Wincing as his every move sent a jolt of pain through his body, Fredrick slowly sat up over the course of a few minutes. Finally opening his eyes, he forgot himself for a second to gaze in wonder at the sight that was before him. The first signs of dawn were creeping over the short trees in the distance, throwing reds and golds over the countryside. And then his body caught up with his mind sending a fresh wave of pain pounding through his head. With a groan he gripped his head between his hands to try and stop his temples from bursting. He hadn’t felt this much pain for a long time, not since he had started learning magic from Thah'Alle. He tried to push through the pain to remember what his master had called it -- Arcane overload? It was something like that.
Calming his breathing to try and block the pain, Fredrick concentrated on the strings of magic around him. A faint hint of spicy fire. A waft of sharp manipulation of wind and water. A deep mossy baritone from somewhere nearby. Underlying it all was the pungent tang of old, old magic, a sour odour that made his insides clench. There was something much more powerful than he had ever felt before and he was going nowhere near it unless it was to control it. That sent a grin to his face, though it was quickly wiped off again as he shuddered with another wave of pain. Gritting his teeth, he waited for it to pass before letting out the breath that he wasn’t aware he had been holding.
Back to his checks. He was in a place that he didn’t know, and was being wracked with pain from an extremely powerful source of unknown magic. What about his magic? Without thinking about it, he reflexively raised his left hand and concentrated, summoning a tiny spark of fire to dance around in his palm. Looking down at it he knew for sure that he was in a lot of trouble. Instead of the bright teal that he was expecting it was a smokey red, shot through with the occasional fleck of yellow. Before he could dispel it however, it sputtered out in a small puff of smoke. He was very nearly out of magic, again something that hadn’t happened since his first few lessons.
Looking up from his hand with a worried glance Fredrick noticed that the glow of dawn had gone, but the world didn’t look any brighter. This sent an alarm bell ringing in his head along with what was going to be a very heavy migraine once the day started proper. He was ill with overload, nearly out of magic and lost somewhere in the wilderness. He just hoped that he was still somewhere on the same continent as Vasari and not in one of the outlying islands. If Thah'Alle though this would curb his anger, then he had another thing coming when he got home.
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:05 am
dammedMule
[for notification]
[". . . ungracefully threw up into a ditch" I can't imagine a better start for Fred. He is going to be so much fun to torture. I love the arcane overload, makes sense for the amount of power he just encountered. I'm going to give this scene its own color though since it's a good distance from the green one. How's purple?
Also a few grammar notes: instead of the ellipsis (. . .) consider using a dash (properly the em — but the double minus -- is acceptable due to ease of typing) to indicate a dramatic pause. The ellipsis should technically only be used to indicate omission (such as in a condensed quote) or aposiopesis (trailing off a sentence to give the impression of unwillingness or inability to continue). Also commas, they are my bane, but I'm pretty sure you could lose a few in there.]
[Note for everyone: Aelzwyr does not have a sun (or moon, or stars). There is no dawn, no dusk, no noon, no night, no day. There is only a constant state of eternal twilight caused by the glowing mists that make up the outer atmosphere. 'Dawn' in Indrikvald is caused by the glow cycle of the ancient trees which produce a white light for about 13 hours then rest another 13 before beginning another cycle. Most cities have a similar mode of augmenting the atmospheric glow with some source of light to create an artificial day/night cycle usually based on these tree's 13 hour clock, giving Aelzwyr a 26 hour 'day'.]
Southern Horn of the Indrik Road, Lemuria (#660066)
That fleeting first glimpse before the pain distracted him gave Fred a scenic view of pastoral beauty. Tall grasses rolled with a gentle wind down the slope of an arching rise. The path he'd thrown up along followed the crest of this rise through the grazing fields of the Kumariel herds. Elegant deer-like animals with long back-curved horns daintily waded these seas of grass. Farther down the slope and over a few smaller rises the fields lead to a white sand beach that curved gracefully against a turquoise sea.
The distant trees he only briefly saw in his glimpse were to the left of the path (opposite the fields) and farther up ahead of him. The young outer edge of the forest was a deep, emerald green with drooping branches and long leaves, resembling bamboo, or willow. Deeper in the trees were much larger and a different sort but Fred didn't look long enough to see them.
Looking up again after the pain Fred began to notice little things: the odd purple haze of the misty sky, the exoticness of the grazing deer, the soft white glow over the heart of the distant forest, the sea that stretched out for endless miles beyond the white cliffs that hemmed the forest edge. He was distracted from looking over the water on the other side by a second burst of fiery 'dawn' this time closer and accompanied by a thundering roar.
An inferno of flames roiled over the trees and seconds later the fires parted as a giant beast flew through them. Ivory horns arched back from a serpent's head, toothy maw lined in rows of sharp teeth and fringed in a hairy beard. The light of the fire cast red-orange hues against the large golden scales that plated the creature's long body. Leathery wings stirred the flames into billowing swirls that grazed the treetops setting some briefly ablaze but a second pump of the dragon's wings put the fires out as it climbed higher in the misty sky, passing over the forest and strafing Fred with a gust of swirling wind from its wings.
Moments later a second dragon followed, banking upwards to barrel roll around the much larger gold. The shining black scales of the smaller beast made its shape hard to discern but it was somewhat stocky, pudgy almost and had the look of youth about it, certainly the energy as it let out a blast of boiling flame with a little shriek and tumbled through the fire high above.
As frightening and wondrous as the sight of the two dragons had been Fredrick couldn't ignore the scene behind them. The ocean spread out endlessly from the white sand beach beyond the grassy fields, broken only by a few small islands that trailed away from this larger one. It was beautiful but it wasn't what caught Fred's eye. That would be the much larger island beyond them that didn't break the sea's surface. The huge chunk of land instead floated above it, unsupported by anything he could see. A whole continent suspended in thin air with smaller islands floating alongside it like stairs, connected even by bridges. Fred could see the lights of cities on these islands, large and small, and ships of every description dotted the sea between the white sand beaches and the floating islands.
This was nowhere near Vasari.
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Jikial
Distinct Hunter
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:44 pm
Mad Sam
Sam did not know how long it had been, nor did he care. He loved the forest of Indrikvald and all the unicorns lost within. Wind whispered through the trees bringing with it the smell of sea and the sounds of hooves and waves crashing.
Sam had been alone enough now to feel deep and philosophical and had begun to wonder about life, the universe, and everything. It was dull work thinking, he thought, and he proceeded to stick his hand inside his stockbag and call up random items until he found what he was looking for, a navigational sphere.
The little brass-coloured ball was inconspicuous and to the naked eye looked like nothing special. Indeed when Sam first came to Aelzwyr he wondered what was with all the brass balls that populated the pockets of so many travelers. These spheres were so easy to "lose."
He tossed his up into the air and spoke, "Hyk Kadt" and the ball stopped where it was in the air. It hummed a bit and then started glowing, settling into a small orbit around Sam's head before coming to a stop in line with Top City. It the fell into Sam's outstretched hand and hummed a little more before concentrating the glow into a single dot which pointed in the direction of Top City.
Sam tossed the ball up into the air again. He spoke "Gyahheenmoa."and the ball hummed, fell to his hand, and the glow became large and pointed out from Lemuria to the ocean. "Nowhere."
It was at this point that Sam felt what he had been waiting for, a pressure change. It felt for a moment as if Sam's brain was being squeezed in the force-grip of a small child. Then it released. The breach he had been camping at had finally let loose more small wonders into the world, Sam thought as he picked up his camp, tossing the sphere back inside his bag.
He set off to find the latest entries to the world of Aelzwyr using his natural affinity for energies to find it. He felt around by walking in a circle before finally finding a dense "stream" in the air and following it, taking him out of the forest.
Either this wasn't the same breach, or it was bigger than Sam had first thought. It took him down the road a bit before he felt another sensation, a bunch of small tuggings indicating that a breach had just let out a good bit of small items. Unfortunately those were behind Sam in the forest, but Sam just had to figure out what that big squeeze was. A dragon pulled out of gravity and into the sky somewhere ahead of him but if that had dropped out of the breach Sam wouldn't have been able to move for a while.
Sam simply ignored it and continued on his way until finally happening upon the outskirts of the breach, he felt more than just the breach in this one though. It did not take him aback, usually feeling more than a breach meant a magical item of some sort, and those were always welcome.
Instead what he saw was a figure sitting on the ground staring out towards the Stairs. Sam smiled, he only ever got to welcome a new being to Aelzwyr once and that ended in it exploding, from terror probably. This thing at least looked human, so it's chance of survival was slim to miniscule, but it was better than that of a bloated ball of gas.
He called out to it in Sagus, the language he spoke most fluently, and the language above.
"Belobin!" Sam started walking over to it. "Belobin! Belobin belobin!"
