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 Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 5:49 pm
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:38 am
The morning sun rose bright and early today on the eastern side of Castle Prontera. The early workers went to and fro, beginning set up shop for the day and the delivery boys began the morning deliveries of fresh milk and paper. Those who had business in this time of day, especially the ones who owned restaurants and food places usually began their mornings by visiting the market of Prontera to restock on supplies. The diligent mothers als get up early to prepare breakfasts for their family, water the plants and sweep house clean.
At the Castle Prontera, the servants hustled to prepare the morning meal for the King and the Royals. Today, however, they seemed to be a little bit more rushed than usual . . . The Royal messengers were standing anxiously outside the Council Hall, clutching their side bags, some impatient, some fidgety, some still drowsy from lack of sleep. They had been summoned immediately to deliver something throughout the kingdom. It wouldn’t be long before they are told their destinations and given their messages. There is a letter delivered to you the next morning by a personal messenger of the King.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 5:38 pm
Greetings from the King and the Kingdom of Prontera. On behalf of the Council, we congratulate you upon passing the rigorous screening process that we have just undertaken for a few weeks past. You and many others are cordially invited to partake in the annual martial arts tournament to be held at the Prontera Training Grounds, three days from now. Depending on your specialization, you will be able to enter different branches of the competition.
The Branches of the Competition include:
~Unarmed
~Swordfighting
~Archery
~Spears and Polearms
~Hammers and Axes
~Maces and Clubs
~Magic
~Daggers, Knives and Katars
~Performance
~Speed Competition
~Endurance Competition
~Free for all Melee
You may enter up to a maximum of three competitions, but please keep in mind that each competition requires mastery of said ability, and that each has its own rules. Do not worry as there will be Priests and Alchemists to treat injuries and ailments during the course of the Tournament. There will be great prizes for the winners, and those who win the final round will be honored by the King himself. We wish you luck if you should choose to join this competition.
Reservations are made at the Droselle Inn, should you decide to come to the Tournament and have no place to stay. The Training Grounds will be open for their purpose until the first day of events. Thank you.
The Tournament Council
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Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 5:18 pm
Midmorning light fell gently from the rafters through the sawdust filled air of the Knight's stable. Dunya was sitting on her floor palate reading a letter from home. It was written in Aderyn's wavering uncertain hand, and it was clear that Dylan had helped her with the longer words. A smile spread across her face as she read her younger sister's descriptions of home: the clear streams, dense forests, and her rabbits. Apparently her young sibling had taken her word and was working very hard, rising early each morning feed and check on the small creatures. A post note in Dylan's writing told her that the rest of the family was in good health, and missed her, though their father might be in Prontera later in the year.
Dunya stood up and stretched, carefully refolding the letter and slipping it into her satchel. Unless she could borrow some from the stable master, she'd need to buy new paper and ink before writing home in reply.
A rhythmic gentle thudding sound caught her attention and she soon heard a scratching noise on the stall door. Parting the tapestries, she released the latch on the stall door. Her wolfhound, Colin, plodded into the stall and Dunya closed the door behind him, letting the tapestries fall back in place.
Her living conditions were strange by even the most eccentric's definition. Dunya had arrived in Prontera during the spring foaling season, and after thoroughly impressing the Master of Horses with her ability, she'd been granted a modified stall at the end of the stables as living quarters. It had previously been used to house extra hay, but now with the addition of tapestries for modesty, a table, and some bedding it was quite comfortable. The stable master was also pleased to have someone so adept with animals spending the night with the horses: it made him sleep easy knowing that in the event of an emergency, the horses were in good hands.
Dunya had no complaints about her unconventional living situation. In Payon, she had been used to sleeping in close proximity to animals, so the perpetual noise was never a problem. At first however, the Master of Horses had a few misgivings about Colin. Rightly so on his part as Colin stood more than three feet tall at the shoulder, and being a wolfhound, came fully equipped with an impressive set of jaws. The first few days, both Dunya and Colin could feel how he was being tested. He had to prove that he was well behaved, or they'd have to find other lodging. Colin played his part well. He stuck to Dunya's heels and was careful not to get underfoot or startle the horses. Ultimately he was accepted as a useful member of the stables and was allowed to roam freely.
Colin lay down at the end of Dunya's bed and let out a heavy canine sigh, dropping his head to his paws. Dunya had just noticed a letter that had been left on the table for her. She scooped it up, the stable master must have left it for her while she was mucking out stalls this morning. She turned to Colin and said quietly, "Yes, I know you're bored! You don't have to look so..." she tried to find the right word, "dejected." In Payon, there'd always been something interesting for a dog to do: chase the children, go hunting, or even just trek through the woods. Here in the urban environment, all he had to hunt were rats and most of them were slow and dim witted. When she had time, Dunya and Colin would walk to the woods on the edge of town and go for a hike, usually bringing back some coneys for dinner. Lately however, Dunya'd been so busy that they hadn't left the stables in what seemed like weeks.
Dunya sat down on the bed again, reaching over to scratch Colin's broad head and turning the letter over in her other hand. She gasped quietly. The King's own seal had been used on the back! She checked the front to be sure it was for her. Dunya Haik was written (with rather a lot of curlicues) across the front. She turned the letter over again and carefully broke the seal. She read the invitation slowly twice before refolding the letter and leaning her back against the wall of the stall. "A competition, eh?" she said aloud to Colin. "Might be some excitement we were looking for."
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:12 pm
Old The packed dirt resounded dully as Yuki rode onward atop a rented Peco-Peco. Izlude was 2 days behind him and Prontera was just beyond these hilly plains. Though it was nice to visit his hometown, Prontera had a certain vibrance about it. The afternoon sun peeked at him above the crest of the hill he was ascending. Shielding his eyes from the bright amber rays, he could see the silhouette of Prontera a short distance away. Faint whispers of the town's bustling could occasionally be heard. His mount mildly protested, being tired from a long day of riding. Yuki himself was feeling a bit drained, but his destination had nearly been reached. Whil descending the hill, the setting sun hid behind Prontera castle, the highest point in the crowded cityscape. To the side of Prontera stretched a vast calm forest, complete with milling birds. As he drew towards the city gates, the overtone of countless voices overlapping each other grew more pronounced. Outside the city walls was a stretch of farms and small shacks. Hr scanned the numerous buildings for a steepled roof. Sighting the one, he diverged from the road towards it. One wall of the large shack was completely removed, allowing for easy entry and exit to those with steeds. A pictoral sign creeked slowly, bearing the semblance of a Peco-Peco. Dismounting, Yuki led his mount into the building. A genial man sat at a makeshift countertop dozing. At Yuki's entrance he revived and stood up.
"So, how'd Alky behave for ya?" the old man asked, taking the reigns of Yuki's mount.
Yuki responded cordially, "He followed orders well enough, though he tired more easily than I would have expected. This town-to-town renting plan you have here is quite efficient."
The shopkeeper drew Alky toward a stable, closing the stall behind it. He turned back to Yuki, who was placing his charge on the counter. "2/3 payment at the start, 1/3 at the destination, correct?" Yuki questioned. The man nodded, scooping up the coins. Departing from the Peco-Peco stable, he rejoined the main road and walked toward the gate. Once there, a guard greeted him. He strided through the streets, already having begun to lose their business as night approached. Coming to the Droselle, a frequent lodging of his in Prontera, he entered. The master of the inn, Mister Droselle greeted him cheerfully. Coming to the counter where he was, Yuki spoke, "I'll take my usual room, Sir." Placing the normal fair down on the wodden counter, he began to walk away when Mister Droselle informed him of some mail he had received. It was rare that Yuki would receive any mail, but Droselle Inn was where his mail was sent (seeing as he most often lodged there). Grabbing his mail from the slot on the wall, he climbed up the staircase. Ripping the wax seal without noticing the imprint upon it, he soon realized whom the letter was from.
A contest, eh? Well, Sword-Fighting and the Battle Royale seem like they would be my fortes. The Endurance Competition might also be of interest. I think I'll head to the taining grounds early tomorrow. He opened his room door, closing it behind him once he had entered. Sitting at the foot of his bed, folded the latter and placed it on the table nearby. The packed dirt resounded dully as Yuki rode onward atop a rented Peco-Peco. Izlude was 2 days behind him and Prontera was just beyond these hilly plains. Though it was nice to visit his hometown, Prontera had a certain vibrance about it. The morning sun peeked at him above the crest of the hill he was ascending. Shielding his eyes from the bright amber rays, he could see the silhouette of Prontera a short distance away. Faint whispers of the town's bustling could occasionally be heard. His mount mildly protested, being tired from the previous days of riding. Yuki himself was feeling a bit drained, but his destination had nearly been reached. While descending the hill, the rising sun hid behind Prontera castle, the highest point in the crowded cityscape. To the side of Prontera stretched a vast calm forest, complete with milling birds. As he drew towards the city gates, the overtone of countless voices overlapping each other grew more pronounced. Outside the city walls was a stretch of farms and small shacks. He scanned the numerous buildings for a steepled roof. Sighting the one, he diverged from the road towards it. One wall of the large shack was completely removed, allowing for easy entry and exit to those with steeds. A pictoral sign creeked slowly, bearing the semblance of a Peco-Peco. Dismounting, Yuki led his mount into the building. A genial man sat at a makeshift countertop dozing. At Yuki's entrance he revived and stood up. "So, how'd Alky behave for ya?" the old man asked, taking the reigns of Yuki's mount. Yuki responded cordially, "He followed orders well enough, though he tired more easily than I would have expected. This town-to-town renting plan you have here is quite efficient." The shopkeeper drew Alky toward a stable, closing the stall behind it. He turned back to Yuki, who was placing his charge on the counter. "2/3 payment at the start, 1/3 at the destination, correct?" Yuki questioned. The man nodded, scooping up the coins. Departing from the Peco-Peco stable, he rejoined the main road and walked toward the gate. Once there, a guard greeted him. He strided through the streets, already having begun to increase their activity as daytime continued. Coming to the Droselle, a frequent lodging of his in Prontera, he entered. The master of the inn, Mister Droselle greeted him cheerfully. Coming to the counter where he was, Yuki spoke, "I'll take my usual room, Sir." Placing the normal fair down on the wooden counter, he began to walk away when Mister Droselle informed him of some mail he had received (he had missed the post by only minutes). It was rare that Yuki would receive any mail, but Droselle Inn was where his mail was sent (seeing as he most often lodged there). Grabbing his mail from the slot on the wall, he climbed up the staircase. Ripping the wax seal without noticing the imprint upon it, he soon realized whom the letter was from. A contest, eh? Well, Sword-Fighting and the Battle Royale seem like they would be my fortes. The Endurance Competition might also be of interest. I think I'll head to the training grounds later today. He opened his room door, closing it behind him once he had entered. Sitting at the foot of his bed, folded the latter and placed it on the table nearby. Inventory [-15 Zeny for mount][-20 Zeny for room][The changes have been made.]
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:45 am
The morning sun rose bright over the eastern blue sky. Avelaine had already been hard at work even before the dawn came, and the roosters crowed morning. Now she was sitting down at the end of the long table, eating a small breakfast of bread, jam, butter and juice. This was pretty much her entire morning: get up, clean the inn, do errands, have breakfast, then either go out for some training, or go and do more work. A knock on the door brought her out of her usual mindless state during the mornings.
She stared at the door drowsily for several seconds, and heard a second knock come from the outside. Avelaine got up groggily and took sluggish steps towards the door, her arms hanging limply from her side, one hand clutching a grape jelly sandwich, and her shoulders hunched over, as if she was some kind of sleep walker. The door seemed heavier than usual when she half-heartedly opened it and stared at the man standing outside in total silence. With half-closed eyelids she asked him in a very lethargic voice: “What do you want?”
The messenger froze in place, something about this woman was scary, like she was emanating an aura of certain death. He was almost prepared to back off and run, but he remembered his mission, tried to regain his composure and said: “A l-l-letter from the C-Castle, m-ma’am!” He handed her a letter sealed with the King’s emblem, reaching out as far as his arm could go so as to not get too close to her.
Avelaine, now standing there half-asleep, unconsciously took the letter with her free hand, and at the same time, replaced the letter with the grape jelly sandwich from her other hand. Then she instantly turned around and slammed the door in the man’s face, while still clutching the letter and staring at the seal. She ripped the letter open with one finger and unfolded the message inside to read it.
The letter was like a clock ringing her to full wakefulness, her eyes shot open in disbelief. Avelaine could not contain her joy as she bounced around the lobby, hopping like a bouncy ball let loose hard upon the floor. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes . . . .YES!”
The messenger was stood stunned in front of the door that was slammed in front of his face, his hand clutching a now-dripping grape jelly sandwich. The woman didn’t even as much say a word of “Thanks” to him, he guess it was because the morning. As he turned to walk away, he was caught off-guard by a scream coming from the same house he just visited. The scream alarmed him and he ran away flailing his arms, splattering grape jelly in his wake.
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 7:32 pm
((Guys, as a side note. This RP was made for extravagance and creativity. You know those video games where the spell effects and skills look all cool and stuff? (Watch Dead Fantasy I, Tales of Symphonia skills and other Final Fantasy videos to get an idea.) So if you are caught in a battle or have to use a skill, don't be afraid to make it as grand and as physics-defying as possible. I made this RP to FUEL your creative juices and get those hand typing. More detail is also better!))
And just for reference our posts' timelines are all screwed up, but its fine, no need to change it. The timeline should be: mine's, EKA's, then Yoder's. Making it progress from dawn, to midmorning, to afternoon. For all intents and purposes, it is now afternoon in Prontera, 3 days from the contest.
WARNING!: A new character has entered the story. She will be played by me and written in RED.
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:43 pm
With the town bustling with activities as usual, the clinic seemed to be full with patients, more than usual. Rosiya has been working since the crack of the dawn, with no break, but she still could not see the end of the queue or the end of list of patients who signed in. Sighing heavily, Rosiya mumbled to herself if she will ever get her lunch break.
"Rosiya!" The doctor called for her, urging her to move on from flipping through the check-in sheet and to go make the line shorter. Scratching her head, Rosiya yelled back, "Alright, already!"
Pouting harder, Rosiya called for the next patient, but when she faced him, she immediately threw away the pout and greeted the patient coridally. As she treated his wound, she had a small conversation with him, asking him why the town was so busy. With a surprised look, he asked Rosiya if she didn't hear about the competition the King of Prontera was holding. Tilting her head, Rosiya asked him to go on.
"I heard that if you recieved a letter with the King's emblem, you can participate in a special martial arts competition..."
The patient kept talking about how many would die to be in it, but Rosiya stopped listening after the first sentence.
"So it's that time of the year again..." Rosiya mumbled to herself as she finished wrapping the bandage around the wound. '... Wait. A letter with the King's emblem...?' That morning, she vaguely remember some messenger trying to explain lots of formalities when she was busy treating the patients. In the end, the messenger shoved something at her and left, heeving in anger; she had thrown that thing along with her bag in the back of the clinic without looking at it because she was too busy.
"No way!"
A muffled scream escaped the patient's mouth as Rosiya tied the bandages with all her might in the revelation of what she had recieved that morning. Realizing what she had just done, Rosiya quickly untied the knot and retied it more carefully, repeating several apologies. After she was done, she quickly ran towards the back, ignoring the doctor's call and grabbed the letter, staring at the seal with shining eyes. Carefully breaking the seal, she unrolled the letter slowly, reading line by line. As soon as she was done, she swung her bag over her shoulder, and ran towards the door.
"Rosiya-!"
"I'll take my lunch break now!"
Cutting the doctor's sentence, Rosiya grinned as she yelled back. As soon as she hit the town square, Rosiya stopped and let out the breath she had been holding as she read the letter. Slightly squinting at the sunlight, Rosiya began to make her way through the crowd towards the training ground.
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 5:11 pm
A gentle hum filled the stables that afternoon. It was soft and slow, unhurried or stressed, it was the sound of Dunya thinking. It was an odd habit she'd picked up from her father, who was a traveling minstrel, and found solace in music. Anytime she was worried about something, Dunya would hum a tune to herself while she thought. She found it made thinking much easier and had a calming effect on the horses as well.
As she filled the water trough for the the amazing creatures, she reflected back on when she first arrived in town, seeing them for the first time. She had been shocked by the size of the animals. In Payon, the horses were light framed and shorter, practically ponies compared to these. The Knight's stable housed war horses: massive, fantastic, beautiful works of physiological art. They were taller, broader, and by all means heavier (she'd assure you if one stepped on your foot you'd be able to tell the difference). They were also nobler in appearance, less skittish, powerful and proud. Dunya felt a warm appreciation for the miracle of breeding that had been accomplished in Prontera.
Footsteps on the wooden floor caused Dunya to look up from grooming a magnificent bay horse; her humming faded out. The Master of Horses was making his way down the stalls. She nodded to him politely, bowing her head slightly.
"How is it today Dunya?" He asked, kindly patting the bay's velveteen nose.
"All's well." she said simply. She stopped grooming for a moment and transfered the comb to her other hand, pulling the King's letter from her pocket. "Did you leave this for me this morning?" she asked showing him the letter.
"The messenger gave it to me, it's not bad news I hope?" He said with a worried expression.
"Oh no, not bad, it's just..." she paused, "I've been invited to an archery competition, only I don't know how they knew I was an archer." she finished.
"That's lucky! When is it?"
"Three days from now."
"You need to prepare! What are you doing here still? You should be out practicing!" Excitement had taken over the Master of Horses in an instant, he was practically bouncing up and down.
"I just thought I'd fini-"She began before he cut her off.
"Give me that!" He pulled the comb from her hand. "This kind of thing happens once in a lifetime!" He took her place by the horse, (who was eying them both with dignified contempt) and pushed her from the stall. "Go! At least find out what the competition's like! And take that mongrel with you!" he called back with a laugh.
Dunya smiled at the older man, he refused to admit that Colin had a soft place in his heart.
"If you're sure I can't he-" she began.
"No. I absolutely forbid you, these are my stables. Get out!" he shouted after her. She ran toward her stall, whistling as she did so. In the corner of her 'room' was her bow and quiver. She slipped her satchel on first, and then her quiver over the other shoulder. It's weight between her shoulder blades felt right. Next she scooped up the bow. It was a gentle re-curve, beautiful in it's simplicity. She smiled as she stepped from her stall, feeling like she was home again.
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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 6:53 pm
Ninna's quill scratched the surface of the ledger furiously. She was in the middle of recording the inn's expenses for the previous day, as well as income. She was nearly done, which was good. Already afternoon, Ninna didn't want to miss out on training!
Yes, in the morning mail was a letter from the King, inviting her to participate in the upcoming tournament. The prospect was very exciting to Ninna. Obviously she would participate in the Performance catagory- what dancer wouldn't want to show off their moves for the whole of Prontera? She even had a costume in mind... Ninna also thought to try her hand at the archery competition. She knew she couldn't win at it, but it would be fun to stand along side all of those 'real' archers. And perhaps... perhaps she could manage herself in a free for all melee. But that decision would come later.
"Oh, fiddlesticks," she said outloud. The ink had splotched while she was busy thinking about the tournament. Quickly, she blotted it up, finished out the column, and checked her sums. They seemed correct.
Leaving the book open so the ink would dry, Nin sashayed around the counter towards her room. She needed to grab a few things before leaving for the training grounds. Hips swaying to an unheard melody, Ninna quickly gathered her whip, and a quiver full of arrows. Her clothing was comfortable enough to dance in, as they always were, so there was no need to change.
Securing the whip around her waist, Nin walked back out into the main lobby. The ink was dry, so she put the book away on the shelf. Right on time; she was off duty now.
"I'm going now," she called out softly to the inn's owner, her employer. He nodded, and Nin slipped out the door heading towards the training grounds.
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Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:35 pm
((You know, I didn't realize the mix-up in time-of-day before. I'll fix my post.))
Having relaxed for a time, Yuki stood, took off his massive collar, left his shield and satchel, and exited his room. Taking only his sword with him, it was strapped tightly on his left side. Messing up his hair as he walked down the hall, he appeared to be no more than a basic swordsman. Descending the stairs, he left the Droselle Inn to venture to the Training Grounds. The center of town was always packed around noon. Making his way through the crowds, he walked down the main street of Prontera.
((a little short for my liking, but I'm out of ideas right now...))
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:42 am
Avelaine put on her shoes to head out to the training grounds. If she was going to compete in the tournament, then she had to brush off the dust in her skills; it’s been a while since she’s gotten to use her strength to full potential, let alone her speed. She called to her parents that her chores were done and that she was heading out, and also told them that she shouldn’t be expected home until dinner. Looking back to her dresser, she wondered if she should take out her knucklebraces from the bag that was hanging from one of the edges. In the end, she decided not to take them and to save them for a later day, besides, training bare-fisted, she knew, would improve her endurance and her fists.
She stepped out into the sun and was momentarily blinded by the afternoon glare, she’d been inside for too long. Avelaine noticed that there were more people in the plaza of Prontera than usual and deduced that it was due to the upcoming tournament being days away. Making sure her robes wouldn’t fly away, Avelaine decided to run towards the training ground, taking the longest short route possible: Legend Road.
Legend Road, Avelaine saw, was filled with people coming in form the Main South Gate, which meant she would have to weave in and between the crowd, which still meant more training for her. In the inside she smiled to herself for incredible luck. Her instant dash kicked up a huge cloud of dust as she started, and left a dust trail in her wake. Through the multitudes of people, Avelaine dashed, strafed and side-stepped; one looking at her from above would be surprised at her inhuman agileness. Reaching the outside of the inner gates, she took a sharp left and headed down the path towards the Training Grounds. Avelained picked a free training dummy and proceeded to pound it with punches, presuming that the thick wood post would actually stand up to the force of her strikes.
((Yoder, don't worry about the inventory changes and stuff, we wont use that as much anymore, just for reference really. You know, like over-buying and RP Poverty Syndrome. And don't worry about the time of day either, as I said in my last OOC, we'll just work around it.))
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:25 pm
Colin's large form came lumbering around the corner as Dunya stepped out into the street. As he looked at her he instantly knew something interesting was about to happen. He gave her his best canine 'let's go!' look, they set off up the diagonal road, toward the Park and Plaza. Colin led the way, a few steps ahead of Dunya, happy to be out of the stables for once.
The Plaza was filled with people, and Dunya wondered how many may have shown up for the Tournament. They turned left, skirting the edge of the Plaza to avoid getting bogged down with all the people, and Dunya took one quick look behind her to see the Castle, which had always excited her for some reason. Now passing the Inn, she decided that on her way home, maybe they'd stop in for a drink, to see just who else had entered this competition.
Colin began to speed up, thinking they were leaving town for one of their hunting expeditions. They passed through the Town Square and Dunya had to grab at his leather collar to make sure he stayed close. He was tall enough and she short enough that she didn't need to bend over to maintain contact. She released his collar (she had never liked the idea of her owning him, they were a mutual team to her) and instead let her hand rest between his oscillating shoulder blades. They turned right and the training grounds came in sight.
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