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 Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 1:19 pm
SHADOW ISLAND
DESCRIPTION - LOCATION - PEOPLE - COAT OF ARMS - CLIMATE - FLORA - FAUNA - RESOURCES Shadow Island floats idly in the sky six thousand feet over Gaia, the land mass simply drifts on air currents and whims to and from with no clear destination and no need to park or rest. The island was constructed as a vehicle and home for Maximos. Lunoc seals allow the land mass to defy gravity. And occasionally its groundskeeper Walter can be seen tending to the garden above. Description:
The island itself is a two mile chunk of land which once made up a cliff edge, but seems to have broken off and flown away. Its surface are is roughly 2miles square, and it extends downwards 400ft in an odd cone shape.
The Lunoc Edge Garden - Across the surface of the island several gardens seem randomly placed, in odd shapes. Various flora and fauna form what seem to be circles with varying shapes with lines of plants connecting them to various other circles. These gardens decorate the rim of the island surface and add varying shades of rich greens, and blacks parsed with swirls of purple. Violets roses dance with indigo tulips swirled around rich green bushes. Its truly a testament to the old man who keeps the garden.
Sparring Grounds - In the dead center of the island lies a patch of land 50ft circular that with various large boulders randomly placed inside it, and a ring of stones marking its edge. The boulders are various sizes and seem to be dug into the deep sandy surface of the ring for the sake of giving it terrain.
The Windmill - On the rear half of Shadow Island sits a large windmill, it seems to serve as the biggest landmark visible. Black and white stripes spiral up its surface and at the top 4 windmill blades loosely spin about. Bushes have been neatly placed around the windmill and a single door in its base points toward the sparring ground and sits unassumingly waiting for someone to open it.
Location:
Floats randomly about Gaia, wherever the wind and weather takes it, is where Shadow Island will be.
People:
There is only one person on all of Shadow Island. A single man who can occasionally been seen walking out of the Windmill door and watering the plants, and tending the garden. The man has stark white hair and deathly pale skin. His hair is tied back into a small sprout of a pony tail at the back of his head. At all times the man wears a black vest, black pants, and black shoes, as well as white gloves and a monocle. Though when he is seen exiting the Windmill he can also be seen wearing large gray work gloves, and an apron.
Coat of Arms/Sign:
Shadow Island has no coat of arms, or any allegiance to any country.
Shadow Island Defenses:
While on the outside the island appears to be nothing more than a strange floating chunk of land, almost all of its defenses are inert and activated by the very act of attacking or attempting to board the island.
-Lunoc Force Seal:
The actual visible seal is carved into the base of the island. The Seal absorbs the oncoming force of motion from any attacking or approaching force and reflects it back into and across the island. Effectively, if someone where to try and blow up the island, the missile will fall idly where in place having all inertia sucked from it, and the island will move away about an inch. The more the force the harder the push. The same is true for any invading peoples, ships, magical attacks, or otherwise. Random guests are simply not allowed unless they are written into the defense system.
-Walter Worthington III:
While he no longer competes, Walter...is a force to be reckoned with. He has been fighting longer than Gaia has been turning, his skill and his power, have not gone soft, and are beyond mortal limitations. His senses both physical and magical are perfect beyond and reproach. His mastery of the magical, elemental, and physical arts is such as has not been seen on the surface of this world. The man quite literally packs enough punch, to cause gods to recoil. He will fight only if absolutely necessary, and he simply will not kill. Consider this a warning to those that come to Shadow Island with the intent of causing trouble.
Climate:
Shadow Island almost always sits at a safe and comfortable temperature of 60-80 degree's all year round. There is a constant beautiful breeze, even if a torrential storm is raging in the sea around it. Something on Shadow Island makes sure the weather is constant...always.
Flora:
Shadow Island is home to quite a few varieties of lovely house plants. Everything from small shrubs to beautiful roses, and gorgeous tulips. A layer of St. Augustine grass covers the surface of the island with the exception of the Sparring Ground adding a beautiful texture to the place. Several trees are placed about the island in the center of the various arrays of plants in order to give both shade and breeze.
Fauna:
A few of the trees attract various tropical birds, and several species of fishes swim about the ocean. With the exception of that, its odd and artificial location limits the amount of plants able to reach the area.
Resources:
Plants need food, as do people, and yet no relations exist with Shadow Island...yet.
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 9:27 am
::Above Ruuvan....what was that noise? It was so loud it barely managed to overpower the sound of the wind rushing by. It sounded something like a Helicopter, the rapid thump thump of something rotating at intense speeds...a shadow was cast down on Ruuvan yet again. And then...::
Waaaaaaaahoooooo!!
::The shrill shriek of a boy having entirely too much fun. And there was D a good 40 ft above him. The boys body spinning like a top as "something" seemed to be attached to his booted feet. It as about 6ft long and 5inches wide...and the sound of it rotating was making a very loud helicopter like beat. Finally, he broke out of the spin revealing exactly what he was standing on...his sword!
D's feet were firmly planted on the sword, as he AirBoarded around the sky's. He wasnt simply falling, he seemed to actually have the ability to tilt the board up and gain altitude as well. D had just discovered how to fly!
For Ruuvan on the other hand, the time to fly, was now. She didnt speak, because this was going to take alot of work. But as the arrow was shot free from her, she let out an almost primal roar. The type you might hear a barbarian scream out while slashing into the oncoming army. This arrow was different.
From the moment it was shot the arrow began to spin. Within seconds the spinning could be seen making slight green swirls as the wind zipped past the arrowhead. slowly the green grow began, it started at the midsection of the arrow and soon overtook it completely. What was left was the silohette of an arrow 3 times the size of the original with its head kicking up quite a storm. Literally cycloning down in a hurricane of green force. Wind, trees, the very ocean around the island rippled with the force of the swirling winds. Almost as quickly as it expanded outwards the green force sucked inwards into the arrow. Leaving what seemed to be only a shard of green, and then....Thunk.
The arrow struck the ground. And there was nothing. No storm, no explosion. A pause, a quiet....and...
Boom.
The explosion was of extraordinary magnitude, there was no escape. A ring of powerful green exploded out for the arrow covereing a span of 500ft around and then exploded upwards in a giant tornado of a blast tree's, bushes, flowers, all were ripped upwards as the swirling dervish came straight for Ruuvan and struck with thunderous power.
The box, rocked wildly as it swirled about and yet still managed to stay together, the spinning was immense, leaving almost no ability to see as the scenery was so rapidly changing and then....Poof. Literally, like getting hit in the face with a soft ball of air. It was gone. And there Ruuvan stood, on a box, on the surface of Shadow Island.
A few more cheers of laughter were heard behind him, as D's sword flew downward and imbedded itself into the ground about 10ft ahead of Ruuvan, the child flipped off the weapon, performing several from flips to work off the momentum before finally coming to a straight stop, the sword immediately dissolved away. And D could be seen running toward Ruuvan shouting.::
THAT WAS AWESOME!!!! LETS DO IT AGAIN!!!
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 3:02 pm
Even though Ruuvan's situation in the air required a lot of concentration, what with standing on a crate hurtling towards the earth at speed, he still managed to turn his attention onto D as he appeared above him using his sword as an airborne skateboard. S mile crept its way onto his face as he returned his attention to the ground just as the arrow did its thing. If someone were to ask him later what the most beautiful thing he had ever seen was, he'd have to answer with that brilliant display of green that erupted from the ground and saved his life, not to mention the visually pleasing effects of said arrow, but at least he safely on the ground now.
"Thanks." Ruuvan sighed o the outside but sounded completely overjoyed to be alive on the inside; his voice suggesting he would jump on the woman for stopping his fall and saving him.
So, as D came running towards Ruuvan overjoyed at what had just happened, he jumped off the crate and moved towards the child, making sure the bags were all still on his back.
"We'll do it again sometime, I promise." The smile was still in his face, but there was a glint of seriousness in his eyes as he looked towards the Windmill on the island, "But for now we've got other things to do, D. Like getting to that Windmill." Once this was said and D calmed down a bit, Ruuvan started towards the only visible structure on the island, not knowing what he'd find or who lived there, but everything he'd done lead to this place.
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 9:43 pm
Hehe.
::He would hear her giggle. Ruuvans pleasure was hers to share. Meanwhile, outside of his mind. D smiled and hugged him.::
Ok, if you pwomise!
::And immediately be bounded off toward the Windmill. He wasnt running, or walking, but skipping, like a froliking child, because he was infact....a frolicking child. Skipping across gardens, plants, grass....everything, without a care in the world, aiming to lead Ruuvan to the Windmill, as excited as could be.::
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 6:37 am
Of course the two could see the Windmill in the distance, seeing as it was the only major landmark on this island, but Ruuvan had trouble guessing how far away it was due to the fact it was a damned big building and he only had one real eye to get the distance. Sure, the NightVisor technology gave him a read-out on the exact distance, but that made him feel like he'd lost his touch. Either way, it wouldn't take them long to happen across the large building, but whatever happened on the way was an unkwon occurance for the two.
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:56 am
::Someone, started choking Ruuvan. No, thats not accurate, thats how it would feel for the poor elf, but that wasnt infact what happened. What happened, was strictly to his necklace, in a moment of extreme power it rose from its hiding place....and began thrashing around like a mad man. Literally, the necklace started pulling him to and fro, randomly jerking him about as if it was trying to get free of his neck...but why?!
Meanwhile D, laughed hysterically, and why not? It was quite a funny show.::
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 9:17 am
The necklace thrashing about Ruuvan's neck wasn't so much joking as jerking his head sharply and rather painfully, but it wasn't starving him of oxygen. So, seeing s the necklace was the problem, he fought through the thrashing to grab it with his right hand and pull it from his neck. Ruu instantly changed from his healthy-looking Elven form to the Undead warrior he was in Aria; his skin going pale and large wounds forming on his visible skin, not to mention under his clothes. He had done this enough times to ignore the pain that was associated with the transformation, but this time the pain was taken over by curiousity as to why the necklace did that.
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 7:28 pm
Ruuvan The necklace thrashing about Ruuvan's neck wasn't so much joking as jerking his head sharply and rather painfully, but it wasn't starving him of oxygen. So, seeing s the necklace was the problem, he fought through the thrashing to grab it with his right hand and pull it from his neck. -- ::But it refused. The Necklace seemed to hit some impenetrable barrier around his neck and would not, no matter how hard he tried, come off. And then it happened. Someone stabbed Ruuvan in the eye. No, thats not accurate, but thats how it felt. Like someone stuck a long metal shard in his eye and began violently twisting it around, and around, and around, with spiked edges and barbs extending and twisting into his and ripping free. Pain. That word described the sensation as well as the word night describes the day. And then it happened, amidst the crippling pain, Ruuvan would feel the wet sensation of leather sliding and slipping over some liquid. He would feel the odd taste of blood pooling in his mouth. It was less that it was pooling but more that it was trickling down his face....and through his lips and teeth, soaking his mouth. Soaking his face. If he leaned forward a vertible torrent of blood would gush forth....all from one source. One agony afflicted, torturous source....his eye. Something in him burned, yelling for him to rip off the patch, it was like a voice in the back of his head, demanding that he do it, that he do it now, that he tear the eye-patch from over his face like one might tear off a leech. But would he do it?::
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 7:43 pm
In the brief pause between the necklace refusing to come off and the pain in his left eye, Ruuvan had a thought of torture and hatred in his mind, almost as if someone were doing this to him on purpose, but this thought was soon drowned out as an object stabbed into his eye socket. A fighter such as Ruu was not normally one to yell out in pain, due to years of training and fighting taking the feeling away, but this wasn't any normal pain; it was in his destroyed eye socket, almost as if his eye were still there and being ripped out all over again.
Ruuvan fell to his knees and grabbed his head, groaning out in pain and shaking violently as the object twisted around, the barbs scratching and tearing the flesh in his eye socket. He couldn't think why this was happening, nor could he focus enough to even start thinking, but he knew the patch had to come off. As his writhing brought him forward, his hands falling palm-first into the ground to support his weight, blood did indeed spew from the edges of the eyepatch and down his face. Without waiting any longer, Ruu fought through the pain barrier and lifted his hands to tear the patch from his face, instantly grabbing infront of the socket as if to grab the attacker's hand, but was it real? What was going on? He couldn't tell, the blood had covered his face and started to go down his torso as he lifted his head back up, his right eye closed as the stinging sensation of an open wound crossed his face. Who was doing this to him?
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:54 pm
Ruuvan In the brief pause between the necklace refusing to come off and the pain in his left eye, Ruuvan had a thought of torture and hatred in his mind, almost as if someone were doing this to him on purpose, but this thought was soon drowned out as an object stabbed into his eye socket. A fighter such as Ruu was not normally one to yell out in pain, due to years of training and fighting taking the feeling away, but this wasn't any normal pain; it was in his destroyed eye socket, almost as if his eye were still there and being ripped out all over again.
Ruuvan fell to his knees and grabbed his head, groaning out in pain and shaking violently as the object twisted around, the barbs scratching and tearing the flesh in his eye socket. He couldn't think why this was happening, nor could he focus enough to even start thinking, but he knew the patch had to come off. As his writhing brought him forward, his hands falling palm-first into the ground to support his weight, blood did indeed spew from the edges of the eyepatch and down his face. Without waiting any longer, Ruu fought through the pain barrier and lifted his hands to tear the patch from his face, instantly grabbing infront of the socket as if to grab the attacker's hand, but was it real?--- ::Was there really an attacker? No. Not at all. No one was attacking Ruuvan. Despite the insane amount of pain he felt, no one was attacking at all. But as he gripped the air in front of his eye, he would recieve a handful of something... You see, the moment he pulled off the patch a torrent of blood gushed from his eye socket, like the stopper removed from a drain. He had removed the clog, and this had helped releave the massive amount of pressure from his behind his eye. Thusly, it inturn would have helped releave a good portion pain, it seemed the worst had passed. And now, the pain was settling away. It was similar to the calming feeling one gets when the arrow is ripped out, and the blood simply fills in the gaping cavity. And then came his hand, thrashing up to stop the mystery attacker...and just in time too. Immediately, as the hand reached up and the blood literally spurted out, Ruuvan would feel a wet squish in his hand...it was something hard, and yet it was coated in so much of his own blood that he wouldnt be able to see what it was. There was the distinct feeling several small threads, or binds, and even a tinge of cold around a certain portion of it...But what was it? It was almost impossible to make out by means of touch, he would need to look closer. -- D on the other hand, had taken to running. Running away, hopping over several bushes and diving behind a tree. From a distance behind Ruuvan his head peaked out, as he waited for all this to blow over.::
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 9:56 pm
The relief of pressure and pain was not something high on his list of things to care about, what with a dangerous amount of blood coming from this new wound, but he managed to surpress the shock that would engulf msot fighters at this point - he was stronger than that. No, this was something difference, something surreal. This island looked strange from the air and now it proved to be completely deadly when walking on the earth, but what is a warrior to do but grasp whatever appeared in his hand and not dare to let go. It definitely wasn't the wrist of an attacker not an implement used to inflict pain, this was something different, so what could it be?
Ruuvan had an idea of what it was, even through the haze of pain this thought managed to make itself known, but he had to dismiss it as nearly impossible. After all, how many eyes could just pop out from their socket after not being there in so long? No, it couldn't be. Still, once the blood stopped spitting from the wound and the pain subisded further, Ruuvan moved the object gently into the field of vision of his now opened right eye. He had managed to wipe away some the blood with his free hand in order to peel the lid open and stare at the object in his hand.
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:49 pm
::His suspicions, and perhaps his fears...were confirmed. As his eye stared into it...it stared back at him. In his hand was an eye. Not an eye of flesh and blood...but an eye of steel and machinery. The threads, the veins pulling at his inner skull were the wires attached to this...the NightVisor technology...His body had just rejected it...why? Why now?
This was coupled with something else, off. The feeling of tears. No, not of crying, but the feeling one gets when liquid profusely pours from an eyeball. Yes...an eyeball.
Instinctively, his left eye socket would blink. Eyelids were the perfect equipment when it came to clearing things out of the eye. Here, there should have been a gaping wide blood filled hole leading into his thumping Elven brain. But no...
As his eyelid closed, it closed on darkness....as it opened....
His eyes could see clearly. No. Not eye. Eyes. Plural. Two. That eye was gone...how, why, when, what?!
The now calm pool of blood around his knee's could serve as a wonderful reflecting pool. Ruuvan, was now the proud owner of two...eyes. One his average color, and one bright green. Green like a grass on a summers day, green like a beautiful emerald help up to the son.
But something about this eye was different.
D, seeing the worst was over ran at Ruuvan checking to see if he was alright and accidentally kicking a bit of dirt in his right eye, forcing it to blink...In the moment his left eye shut, and his right eye was left to see on its own...he was struck with the feeling of peering through a telescope. From here, he could see past the Windmill to the shore of Guldor where a lone Warg groomed itself on the shore...the image was crystal clear, the more he focused the more he could see. If he tried he could even see the rest of the Warg pack waiting for the Alpha...but that was over 2 miles away! And it seemed the ability to focus in and out, came naturally. For all intents an purposes, this eye felt as if it was what he should have had from the start.
This eye saw things in ways, and colors the other only dreamed off. It saw a strange purple hue which rose from ground of Shadow Island. It wasnt physical, the hue had no texture, no scent, it simply wasnt there before, but not...he could see it clearly. Why?
So many questions...but who...who had answers? Was this real? Was it the island?
All the was for certain, all that was real, was the fact that Ruuvan really needed to wash his face.::
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Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:59 am
The NightVisor eye? Why was his body suddenly throwing it back out now? There were lots of questions associated with this current turn of events, even though Ruu had none of the answers and didn't have any clue who would, but he did know that after another little burst of pain he had his eye back. For that brief moment in time, staring into his own pool of blood and seeing his reflection, Ruuvan was speechless that his other eye had reformed itself. A moment of joy started to well up inside him as D ran over and kicked dirt in his old good eye, meaning he could only see through the new one, and he could see everything a sniper would ever dream of seeing. Ruu could've sworn he could focus deeper and see the fleas hopping about on their skin, but he had to tear his gaze away as yet more questions flooded his brain, not to mention the smell of blood on his face; that familar scent of iron and water flowing into his nostrils.
So, feeling the blood drenching his face and started to move onto his clothes, Ruuvan reached around to the small of his back and pulled the canteen from its belt holster. A click-clunk of the lid brought the water flowing freely onto his face and onto the floor behind him, dirt and blood alike clearing itself from his skin. Once that was down and Ruuvan opened both eyes to get a good look at the windmill, still it was strange to have both back in place, he placed the canteen back onto his belt and stumbled to his feet.
"Come on D, let's see who lives here." Ruuvan had indeed looked over the purple haze steaming from the ground, even though he assumed he was the onyl one of the two who could see it, but had no idea what it was nor did he want to cloud his mind with more questions than he already had. So, now with two eyes, Ruuvan gathered his bags again and started off towards the Windmill with D beside him.
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Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:06 pm
::The rest of the way was entirely clear. There was nothing more to this place, than what could be seen. Green grass, fresh plants, the party trotted over the makeshift training ground and soon found themselves before the Windmill, all was well.
There it was, a massive black striped windmill looking like something out of a childs mind. It was like a massive barbershop pole, without the spinning. The weather was beautiful, the sea was calm, the breeze was steady.
And yet Ruuvan would see something, a marr in paradise. A crack in realities weave. It took a bit of staring, but the sight came to be. The door to the Windmill stood about 8ft tall and 4ft wide. It was wooden and had been very well kept, but...something was wrong. What seemed to be some sort of black tendrils were seeping from the cracks in the door from beneath the wood, over it. It seemed bits of the purple haze found themselves intermingling with it, or perhaps being absorbed by it. It was as if something black had been splashed on the opposite side of the door and leaked its way through. It no longer moved, but it wasnt exactly beautiful either.
D didnt seem to react at all to it, perhaps he didnt see it. He cocked his head to the side, and tugged on Ruuvans pant leg, looking up with a smile and saying kindly...::
Wasa'matter? You gunna knock, Mishter Ruu?
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Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2006 4:49 am
It was strange how this island in the middle of the sea managed to maintain a healthy garden, what with the sea air most likely dehydrating the plants quickly meaning whoever tended to them was busy, but they had managed to fight through nature's onslaught and preserve this little bit of paradise. It wasn't until they reached the windmill door that Ruu could see the speck of darkness on this otherwise pleasant island.
The shadows seemed to be strangling the life from the purple that seemed to flow naturally from the island's surface, intent on making the door its sole property. It took the tug on his trouser leg from D to draw his attention away from the darkness and get his brain into gear, but he really didn't want to put his hand near that stuff.
"Well I don't see a doorbell." Ruu mused slightly, laughing at his own little joke. Anyway, with his right hand near one of his throwing knives should things have gotten nasty, he extended his left hand to the door and proceeded to knock on it three times in a manner that would get anyone's attention.
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