|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 6:24 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:12 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:17 pm
 |
|
|
|
The icicles wreathing
On trees in festoon
Swing, swayed to our breathing:
They’re made of the moon.
She’s a pale, waxen taper;
And these seem to drip
Transparent as paper
From the flame of her tip.
Molten, smoking a little,
Into crystal they pass;
Falling, freezing, to brittle
And delicate glass.
Each a sharp-pointed flower,
Each a brief stalactite
Which hangs for an hour
In the blue cave of night.
"Silver Filigree" by Elinor Wylie
Icicles lead a relatively peaceful life, wouldn't you agree? Their birth, like the rest of their lives, is monotonous and calm. They are born from the slow dripping of water and their trade consists of nothing but growing larger and larger as days go by. Some might say icicles are works of art, sculptures of ice created by mother nature herself; others assure icicles are work of the devil himself, spikes of ice that bring death and bad news wherever they are. Icicles are, however, but a piece of ice hanging upside down, merely waiting for their ultimate fall.
These spikes of ice aren't much of a gossip subject in Shyregoed: everyone has one or two hanging just outside their homes and even trees get to have their own— In fact, icicles are not a matter to talk about at all around Shyregoed- or anywhere else, for that matter. They're all the same, they're all boring and they're basically everywhere.
This icicle in particular was as dull as any other chunk of ice. You could actually say it was the dullest. It was pristine from the forest's flawless water, glittery from the rays of light that caressed it and gelid from the winter that had just hit Stillcrest. Yep, just like any other piece of ice. That's why when Baron kneeled just under it, he chose to stare at the agonizing deer before him instead.
He was a full-grown stag. His eyelashes were dark and long, his eyes were deep and innocent, his pelt sparkled with the morning dew and his body trembled as a result of terrible fear. He must have been the strongest stag the forest had seen in a long time, yet now he was lying defenseless and broken under the shade of death. His eyes met those of the human that had just come to him, yet he refused to move: he would die right there, either by the hand of man or the pain of sickness.
The giant had come from far away, called by something much more powerful than the moans of a distressed animal: curiosity. Such was his hurry to see what was happening to the poor beast that he went empty-handed and alone. He had also come mentally unprepared, apparently, since the sight of such a magnificent animal crying out loud struck his heart like a punch to the stomach. At first, he did not dare to come closer to the victim that would, in another situation, stealthily run away from his predating weapon, yet now he was standing just over the animal, visually inspecting his sides, looking for the tracks of a hunter or a bear.
He found none.
The deer blinked slowly, cried heavily and took a deep breath. Peace seemed far, yet his agony was infinite and his sadness endless. The old man's chest was filled with a terrible feeling known as anxiety, and for once in his life he patted a deer that wasn't lifeless and empty. "Shh, lit-tle on-e. 'S gon- be al-right...
He stood up and reached for the icicle right at the end of the branch above his head; the ice dagger shone bright in his hand. He kneeled next to the creature just as it looked at him with a certain innocence that the human purposely confused with thankfulness, and patted him once more. He covered the stag's eyes slowly with one hand, then smashed the other right into the animal's right ear.
The ice dug deeply into its head, striking his brain and releasing him from all mundane worries.
Baron took the corpse back home, as it was expected from anyone who would somewhat appreciate free meat, and put it on the butchering table.
He noticed, as soon as he began cutting, the dark spots in its flesh and skin. Only then did he realize what a terrible mistake he had comitted in bringing the body back home.
By the next morning, the bonfire had stopped.
Between the stag's ashes, a peculiar item shone bright: an intact bloody icicle.
0•I•II•III•IV•V•VI•VII•VIII•IX•X•XI•XII•XIII
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:19 pm
|
|
|
 |
Personality:Long story short, the icicle does not do much. It is covered by a gross and sickly mixture of blood and a strange black liquid. Baron has tried to clean the un-melting item more than once, yet the gross juice always manages to come back.
If put on a flat surface, the icicle will occasionally roll-- this usually happens at night, when the moon is at its peak. The old man is unable to find a reason behind these sudden movements, but he believes it to be the blood flowing under the icicle.
It possesses a strange feeling of calmness. Whenever Flanagan holds this peculiar item, he is filled with easiness and peace of mind.
Thoughts:Sadly, icicles don't think!
Concept ideas:/This is pretty boring so anyone might want to ignore this/
Since quietus are very similar to their item, I tried to base her personality as much as possible on all the things she is: water (peacefulness, purity), ice (coldness, honesty, perhaps even lazyness), a pointy object (harshness), a weapon used in a mercy killing (she feels like she can save people).
I imagine her having a sturdy, harsh and cold body, which would definitely be very uncomfortable for moving around. Baron wouldn't like carrying her around without putting gloves on first.
Hershel means "deer". I believe Baron would choose this name for her as she reminds him more of the stag he killed than an icicle. As the old man did not have much contact with women, he would choose a boy's name (perhaps it was a nephew or friend's name).
I think of her as dull yet very delicate at the same time: ice comes as boring at first, but if you look closely you'll notice all the little details it's composed of.
0•I•II•III•IV•V•VI•VII•VIII•IX•X•XI•XII•XIII
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:21 pm
|
|
|
|
Character name:
Age:
Gender:
Birthday:
Occupation:
Prospective faction:
The fellowship of the mages.
Region:
Font:
Appearance:Baron is definitely not your dream man. Standing 6'6 feet tall, he comes as menacing and crude. His robust body is of no help either--when covered in the much needed thick layers of clothes, it just makes him look bigger. A large beard hangs from his chin and it is apparent that he doesn't brush it often; the same thing can be said about his hair-- or rather, the shocks of hair that stick out from under the dirty cloak he hardly ever takes off.
Wet dog, dirt and ashes: this penetrating odor follows Baron wherever he goes. Legend says this ugly old bear was born with the stink, yet he is convinced it is a direct result of that time Adler and Gald threw him into the river. Needless to say, this heavenly gift of his has both gestated and murdered the interest of many: the "what is this putrid smell?" is soon replaced by a "why won't this stench go away?". If it weren't because of the good reputation Gabriel gave him and his meats, he's sure his trades would be much less productive than they are, as all merchants would run away from him almost immediately. His brothers don't mind his stench anymore.
Time has made its way through the giant's face: Over the years, his skin adopted a sad, pale look, particularly around the eyes. Whenever a smile escapes him, profound wrinkles appear on the sides of his face. The freckles he used to house over his nose when he was young have now moved towards his cheeks. His eyes, however, stay as lively as ever, always full of a peculiarly generous glitter.
One of the most interesting things about Baron, however, are his hands: he was born with his mother's kind and delicate caress and his father's brute strength. A good amount of bruises have been painted on his knuckles by the north's hard lifestyle, yet his hairy fingers have an (almost) perfect complexity.
In short words, Baron is considered a ferocious herculean with a cold heart and a hard mind, yet he sees this shell as a result of decades of hard work and masses of cold and hard meat.
Personality:Baron is a man of few words; this is not because he doesn't have anything to say, but rather because he can't say it. He began stuttering since the age of 7 and hasn't stopped ever since. The usual mocking of his childhood friends and brothers made him realize that it was better to say nothing than to stutter it out. Nowadays, and after much practice, Baron doesn't mind replying with grunting sounds or with grimaces; after all, those who know him don't mind, and those who don't are not courageous enough to complain about it.
He is, despite his enormous and ferocious look, a very kind and noble man. He comes as easygoing and affable, however, he is also ridiculously innocent. Many say he is almost like a child in the body of a fully grown man. He likes believing that he did indeed ended up staying an infant-- it would explain his dim mind and weak soul.
If you ever find yourself needing a mindless servant, this is your man. Baron is incredibly gullible and will believe almost anything he is told. He's been persuaded into doing nasty things more than once in his life, yet he has been lucky enough not to get involved in the consequences of his actions-- for now. While many mistake his innocence with loyalty (and even though he is loyal), this an erratic conclusion: this bear is just blind to anything that's not directly in front of him.
Bishop and Lord are the only ones he considers his companions. The children of Stillcrest believe they're quite possibly the fluffiest pups ever, Baron thinks they're the nastiest. They manage to make a mess of the house almost as well as they manage to make a mess of the deer. While at times these hunter dogs can come in handy when Baron is out working, the only reason he really keeps them is to get some warmth and company at night.
Terribly insecure and owner of a terribly low self-esteem. That is how Baron would define himself (if he knew those words, of course). His stuttering was both the cause and the consequence of these characteristics. This particular heaviness in his heart made him begin questioning not only every single little thing he said, but also every single thing he did, until he came to the conclusion that he was not worth much more than others.
Baron believes everyone around him is just better than him. He surrenders to others easily and will always do what he is told, whether he likes it or not. He thinks of himself as a sort of dumb butler who has to follow directions just because others know better than him. A disastrous number of years serving as the guardian of a merchant caravan taught him to live with these ideas.
There are only a handful of places at which Baron will disinhibit: parties and alehouses. Baron tends to enter the last as sober as a judge and leave as happy as a lark. While this stutterer does not have the privilege of getting drunk often, he is a real treat to be around when he does: he will dance, tell stories and even sing if he's bashed enough.
Wine is for this giant, on that matter, one of the few real pleasures in life, yet the few coins he wins from trading do not invite him to taverns. Other things he loves include pumpkins, apples and the peculiar chattering of Cardinals.
This gentle giant is Panymesian by birth. While Abbatha did not teach him to count and read, she sure taught him to follow the holy book and pray. Religion and spirituality are one of his priorities: he prays each night, goes to church every three days, confesses often (although boorishly) and devotes his work to the only entity he is not completely terrified of. As a young man, Baron found a haven in religion: if the Lord loved all of his children, then surely he'd love him too-- even if he was menacing and a stutterer.
Thoughts:✦ Thoughts on his family:
Baron really misses his mother, he prays for her often and always keeps her rosary at hand.
He has blurry memories about his father; he recalls Claud telling him that he was somewhat of a womanizer and a terrible parent.
He assumes Claud died shortly after he left; he's thought about asking Emery about it, but he's terrified the truth might hurt him. He also misses him a lot.
Gald and Emery's children are all way too arrogant for his own taste, he prefers to visit his brothers whenever the kids are not home.
Adler and him don't speak often; whenever they do, all Adler does is scold the smallest son.
✦ Thoughts on the icicle:
He has divided feelings about it. He has thought about hiding it to get rid of the responsibility of carrying it around, yet each time he grabs it, he changes his mind. He feels like there is something living inside of it.
✦ Thoughts on plagues:
In one sentence: just what are they? Baron has heard all kinds of different arguments about these strange creatures, but he doesn't have an opinion of his own yet.
✦ Thoughts on the Fellowship:
He's curious about magic and how it works. Gabriel used to amuse him with his funny little spells.
✦ Thoughts on Obscuvianism:
He's been so heavily influenced by what he's heard through his travels (they're extremists, they don't believe in the one God, etc.) that he believes they're demons.
0•I•II•III•IV•V•VI•VII•VIII•IX•X•XI•XII•XIII
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:28 pm
|
|
|
|
History:
Abbatha had always wanted a girl: she would be as small as a rabbit, as pretty as a flower and as clever as an owl. Her name would be Abbey, and she would be her beloved little child. However, when the time came, what Abbatha got was a boy as big as a bear, as ugly as a rock and as dumb as a worm. She called him Baron, and he still ended up being her beloved little child.
Adler, Claud, Emery and Gald were enchanted by their new brother, who (according to their mother) was at least twice as big as any of them when they were born and thrice as stupid. Sadly, their love for him did not come from the newborn's individuality, but from his mere arrival. Truth was they had all pleaded the skies for something a little more memorable than just another boy with the same old curvy nose: now they were stuck with Baron, and as such, they gladly welcomed him into the family.
Claud and Emery were fond of their little house in the southwest of Stillcrest, whereas Adler wasn't. If you stood on your toes when looking out of the northern window, you would catch a glimpse of a gelid ocean freezing in the distance. On the other hand, if you were to stand on your toes near the southeastern window, you would catch a glimpse of a dusty old wall and, well, just a little bit of forest.
Life was not perfect at all in the cozy cabin, yet the sextet managed just fine. The two oldest brothers, Claud and Gald, would venture out to the forest twice a month in order to hunt a deer or two. The 4th brother, Adler, would then butcher and salt the treasure. The 3rd brother, Emery, would come home once a week, only after spending time with his own little family (just like Baron's father, Claus, did).
As Baron was not lucky enough to be born a girl, he began learning his brothers' trades as soon as he began to walk. He learnt the arts of painlessly killing an animal and the methodical task of cutting them into pieces, all while repeating his mother's wise words to himself, "love God above all else". As expected from a family of numerous members and a minuscule amount of money, the ugly child did not learn to read or write. The first years of his life were not too memorable, though they were indeed calm.
At the age of seven, his mother perished. Many say the cause of her death was her old age, others say she died of sickness, yet the cause of her death did not make Baron's loneliness any better. He found it hard to find a place in a home where he had none unless his mother said so; now that she wasn't there to do that, his brothers did not have any pity for him. While they tried hard to make the boy a man as soon as they humanly could, the youngest one was not able to keep up with their expectations. The fear inside the young one grew as his brothers' scoldings persisted, and soon he found himself unable to answer to their terrible complaints. This habit of his never left, unfortunately.
Five years later, Claud, the second brother, took him under his wing when Gald and Adler finally got a family of their own and moved to nearby cabins. The next seven years went by without any major events apart from Baron's abrupt arrival to puberty. He managed to outgrow Emery by ten whole centimeters and gain the force of a bull, all while starting to copy Gald's (not too) stylish beard and Claud's perfect aim with the bow and arrow.
It comes a time in every person's life, however, when suddenly a door to the outside world appears: that door came in the form of Gabriel, a merchant imported all the way from Edgecrest.
Gabriel, contrary to Baron, overflowed with charisma: everywhere he went he made friends, everywhere he looked there were riches and everything he touched was filled with luck. Although he was but five feet tall, the young man could stand out in a crowd of hundreds, raise his voice as a king did and trade water for gold. Not only did people like him, destiny did.
It was no surprise he fixated his interest on the enormous and mindless adolescent with whom he was struggling to trade some fine meats: that beast would result in a perfect guardian for the merchant caravan he had brought with him. His mere presence and his menacing looks would immediately replace the weak farmers he had dressed as soldiers and dissuade the temptations of many. He offered the hunter a fine pay and an opportunity to get closer to the one true god.
That was how Baron, ignoring Claud's good advice against the merchant, left Stillcrest with a group of people he hardly knew, a worn out axe and hopes of finding the one being that would love him.
Many years passed by, so many, in fact, that Baron forgot how to count them: he traveled across Imisus and Mishkan, met sceneries he had never dreamt before, paid for the love of many women, wore clothes strange to him, found things whose name had no meaning and found joy in just walking endless loops in the company of his solitude. The merchants did not mind his mute nature nor his brute force, they loved him for his services and the banal yet satisfying grunts with which he replied. Homesick more than once, yet he never turned around to embrace his childhood's wintery land: he had no one to go back to.
He and Gabriel built a grand relationship through the years. The merchant took care of him as a conductor would take care of a singer: he gave him a place to sleep, food, and the occasional company of a woman he did not know. Baron was comfortable with these small delights and never complained. Gabriel was happy with this, glad he had found the perfect guardian.
There was, however, one small thing Gabriel did not give Baron: God's enlightenment.
That was why one cold autumn morning, Baron woke up and realized he had left his mother's delicate rosary at home. When Gabriel and the other merchants realized, they found only the giant's footsteps.
Baron never realized how much he had missed Stillcrest until he entered the little town and found himself staring at the ocean he had grown up with. When he managed to find the cabin where he had learned to butcher animals, he found no trace of Claud. He found his brothers in their respective houses, yet now they were old and exhausted. In the little cabin where one could buy fishes at a fair price, he found a grandmother sleeping. Everything had changed, including him, and now he was lonelier than when he had left.
Baron found no reason to leave Stillcrest again. He felt comfortable in the small house he had inherited from a forgotten family, he was terrified of how things would change if he left again and he had hopes of finally starting a little life of his own.
He began hunting and butchering again. The free time he had now compensated for the time he had lost wandering aimlessly and in soon he began trading meats again.
Nowadays Baron still inhabits the small house in the southwest of Stillcrest. Although he doesn't visit his brothers often, their relationship is good and healthy. He spends most of his time hunting and occasionally goes out for a drink. While his life seems monotonous and boring, he is convinced he likes it that way.
0•I•II•III•IV•V•VI•VII•VIII•IX•X•XI•XII•XIII
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:37 pm
|
|
|
|
✦ What to do with the icicle. At first, Baron would be confused as to what he should do with the plagued icicle. As he's neither an up-to-date man nor an intelligent human, he would have absolutely no idea what plaguing is or how plaguing works, all he would know about it is that the factions are looking for those enchanted little items and that he should give the icicle to them. As he is more on the Fellowship's side (because Gabriel was a mage and because he is Panymesian), he would look for the mages in order to give the icicle to them. However, he'd grow fond of the icicle over time (particularly of how it sometimes rolls around and how he seems to feel calm whenever he's around it) and would choose to keep the spike while working with the Fellowship.
✦ The icicle is alive. Hershel and Baron would have a very awkward relationship at the beginning. As he's not too talkative and has never taken care of a child before, he'd be confused about Hershel and how to treat her. She would, however, wake up a paternal feeling in him, and he'd go nuts trying to teach her the ways of life and protecting her.
Hershel, on the other hand, would not be too interested in Baron or what he does. She would focus more on trying to understand how things work. She would end up knowing less than the average plague because of how Baron is.
Over time, she would realize that her keeper is out of his comfort zone and would try to serve as a guiding light for him (mainly because she feels guilty for it). She would also, however, try to become more independent and would try to learn more about the world.
It may be possible for Hershel to take her objective of saving people the wrong way.
✦ Old acquaintances. Gabriel would definitely feel betrayed by Baron; he would, however, have the slight suspicion that Baron didn't mean him or his caravan any harm. He would worry himself sick and search for the huge man all over Panymium. I imagine him finding his guardian somewhere other than Stillcrest. The confrontation would be somewhat aggressive, but the two friends would work things out in the very end. I think Gabriel would grow jealous of Baron's plague, as he feels he'd put it to a better use (maybe he would go as far as stealing it). /I was thinking of apping Gabriel as a non-grimm later on!/
✦ In the fellowship. I believe the pair would mostly feel out of place in the beginning: whereas Hershel would disagree with the idea of being treated as a tool, Baron wouldn't love forcefully interacting with the mages. However, the old man would appreciate being surrounded with all the spirituality he's ever needed; he'd try to share this with Hershel in order to make her more comfortable. Their anxiety would eventually vanish.
While Baron wouldn't be too talented with magic, he would become interested in learning how to use it (mostly because he sees it as a method of protecting himself and Hershel). His aperture could be somehow related to his stuttering, with it being placed near his vocal chords or his brain.
I imagine him specializing either in Familiarism or offensive magic.
I believe Hershel would press him into trying to get a higher rank in the Fellowship in order to preserve their wellbeing (and maybe even gain a little reputation).
✦ Hershel is lonely. Whenever Hershel and Baron are alone, an awkward silence fills the room. Neither of them is too talented at chatting, and that shows. The old man wouldn't mind, but the little one would. Hershel would dream of finding a talkative little friend to keep her company; she would try hard to escape his keeper's overprotective hands in order to find a plague to spend her time with.
✦ Normal humans? The plague would be particularly interested in learning what humans are and what they do. She'd hide near populated places once in a while in order to observe and overhear people talking. Maybe she'd find herself in trouble in one of these occasions.
✦ Guilt The feeling of guilt would constantly be on Hershel's back. Sometimes it would grow so strong that she'd find herself unable to stop crying and apologizing. This would definitely affect her relationship with other plagues and humans.
I imagine that as an anhelo, she'd grow tired of it and would try her hardest to get rid of it by helping both people and plagues.
One day (perhaps) she'd ask Baron about it, and (perhaps) he'd illuminate her on the matter.
✦ Devious desires. Depending on how the story progresses, Hershel might consider joining the Obscuvians. She would feel uncomfortable about confessing Baron her desires, but she would eventually take the risk. Baron would definitely feel betrayed and would stop visiting her for a while. Since this decision mostly depends on her character development:
a) If she ultimately chose to leave, she would either convince or blackmail Baron into leaving with her. She just wouldn't be able to do it alone.
b) If she chose to stay, she'd try to find those mages that are on the plagues' side.
✦ ~*~Spies~*~ (Thank you Snoof for this idea sobb) There's a small chance that Hershel would join the House ~secretly~. I do think she would be capable of working as a double agent between the Fellowship and the House. The main reason for doing this would be that she doesn't want to hurt her keeper, but she feels like she doesn't belong with the mages.
✦ Magic works. Baron would be tremendously happy about getting into magic. He would feel much more intelligent and powerful than usual and that would encourage him to keep on practicing. I believe he would also feel like he's being helpful to the Fellowship, which makes him want to stay and improve his powers and relationships.
✦ What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more (Regarding Sem's question!) Baron thought, when he was young, that love would come in due time, yet now that he's a grown up man, he's lost all kinds of hope. There was a time when he tried to find a lover; not anymore. The big old bear would not believe it if a woman showed interest in him; he would probably assume he's being toyed with.
0•I•II•III•IV•V•VI•VII•VIII•IX•X•XI•XII•XIII
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:40 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:45 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:55 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 4:05 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 4:13 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
