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 Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2004 5:04 pm
The Tempest was one of Shakespeare's final plays; it told a tale of betrayal, consequence, and forgiveness - with a little bit of love in there for good measure. In this roleplay, we take a spin on Prospero's island home and see what could have happened after the play's end.
--
Rules:
*You must submit your character to Arcadian before you begin playing. He will either approve or disapprove your character and give their stats to you in a D20 format.
*Characters can be Human, Gargoyle, or Fey - but they must be YOUR character, not Greg's.
*Out of Character, or OOC, must be written in ((parenthesis)).
*Do not use one-line posts. Occasionally it will be tolerated, but if it is consistant then you will be warned to stop.
*Put your posts in sentence and paragraph form, using correct spelling and punctuation as best you can. Use proper grammar as well. NO INTERNET SLANG.
*NO cybering.
*RP in third person.
*Cussing is allowed, just don't go overboard.
*Do not post other character's (re)actions.
*No spamming.
*No god modding. Having a character who never fails at anything isn't fun for other players, nor does it exercise your capability to roleplay.
--
Prospero, the once Duke of Milan, was a rather intelligent and wise man who could wield magic powerful enough to conjure wild storms or overcome even a fae's latent ability.
We can assume that after The Tempest, Prospero's magical powers could have continued to grow as he studied them. We can also assume that Sycorax, the evil sea witch, had left much more on her island than her 'son,' Caliban. Perhaps she herself had these plans kept away somewhere, to manifest her own Empire over her island. And Prospero found them.
And thus began his plan to turn his island into a Utopia - where humans, gargoyles, and fae could live in harmony. He took his Island through time, collecting refugees and salvaging technology whenever he could. Roanoke's disappearance, the Bermuda Triangle, the Children's Crusade - all of these were Prospero's doing.
He had also rescued Gargoyles during the slaughters of the Iron Age, and took in adventurous fae who sought out his Island paradise.
Now the Island lays within a fold of reality. From the Island's perspective, they are the only thing in the sea. From Earth's perspective, and Island merely vanished while no one was looking. It is a large island, capable of maintaining several different regions for its denizens to inhabit. European forests for the fae, castle-topped rookeries from the Middle Ages, 1950s era suburbs, and overlooking the entire island is the central city - Milan. No inhabitant is ignorant of the rest of the island. If only Prospero was still around to guide them, the Island would truly be paradise.
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2004 6:15 pm
((Yay! The RP is finally starting!!! biggrin )))
The earth beneath Atlantis seemed to quake with anger. The ground rocked and the sky turned to fire. Horrified shrieks and screams filled the air. Pure chaos engulfed the island. Buildings and houses were crumbled like paper, roads tore apart and left gaping holes in the earth. People ran every which way, running over the bodies of those who had succumb to fatigue. Children cried out for their lost parents, women searched desparately for their husbands and children.
A piece of debris fell and Artemis lunged out of the way just in time. She jumped onto a column in hopes of climbing it and gliding away. As she tried to climb the earth shook violently and the column began to topple sideways. She jumped toward another column nearby but was struck by a piece of a falling roof and knocked to the ground. As she was rising to her feet she caught sight of a building falling toward her. She scampered out of the way just barely being scraped by it. Deciding that gliding to safety was not an option she drew her wings and tail in and ran. She did not get far. Most of the streets were blocked by rubble and bodies. I have to get out of the city. But how? She knew the city well. She was in the center and it was a few miles in any direction before she could reach the outskirts. The buildings kept falling and dodging the pieces made thinking about anything else nearly impossible.
A small sound caught Artemis' ear. "Help me! Please help me!" She turned and saw a small boy, no more than three. Rubble had fallen all around him and he was obviously frightnened. Artemis soon realized that she knew the boy. They had gone fishing a few times together. I'll get you. She dove under a falling column and was hit in the back by a large stone. She looked up and saw she was closer to the boy now. She stood up again and made her way toward the boy, dodging as much debris as possible. She was no more than 20 yards from him when a building fell toward her. She ducked out of the way but was struck by another falling building. She looked up at the boy who was now only a few yards away. Then the world went black as she lost consciousness.
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 5:12 pm
A quick evening breeze greeted the wingless gargoyle as he woke from his day long slumber. Growls and groans echoed through the city of Milan every 24 hours as every gargoyle voice echoed off its towers and streets. It was no different this time around. As his stone skin fell off his refreshed body, Creed stood erect and stretched towards the cloudless night sky, eyes blazing as his tail lashed behind him.
His perch faced the local Hospital, as it has ever since they came back from raiding Atlantis so long ago. His perch was also a mere 10 feet off the ground, the second floor balcony of a local mechanic's garage and home. In Milan, it is an honor for a gargoyle to live with a human - gargoyles protect their homes, and in turn the humans protect the gargoyles. This was one of Prospero's main teachings.
Hopping off of the balcony, Creed let a curious thought slip through his mind. He wondered just where Prospero had gone; or if the rumors of his death were actually true. Prospero was not a force to be trifled with, as everyone on the island knew. What could have possibly done him in?
Creed raised his claw in a brief aloha to his mechanic friend, Ali, as he did every evening after waking up - while Ali was closing up shop.
"See you in the morning, friend," the middle-aged man stated as he waved back to the gargoyle, who was already getting on a single-seat skybike. However, just like every other evening, Creed's mind was once again repeating a series of memories he would never forget.
--
"Prospero believes rescuing the Atlantians would be easier after their city was already collapsing," Caliban started. "It's not like they would believe us if we told them their city was doomed, anyway."
The hunched gargoyle known as Caliban had been Prospero's servant for some time now. His wings were almost always folded over his shoulders like a cape. It was rumored he was on the island so long he had forgotten how to use them right. Creed was never trusting of rumors, however.
They were traveling in a rather expansive fleet of transport boats that looked astonishingly like the United States' Navy ships of World War II. They were never told if they were the real thing or mere replicas, and many people on the island would prefer they not know. Caliban's voice came across the radios, explaining how they were to extract the most from the city they were quickly approaching.
Some people were to hunt down the social leaders. Others were to simply gather as many people as they could. Those who were not so bright were given the order to 'collect shiny things.'
*
"Creed, report in!" The wingless one had been given the duty of directing people through the crumbling city, to where the boats lay. They could also be given further orders, the more they learned from those they rescued.
"Present. How much longer are we staying here? This place won't last much longer, Caliban."
Ignoring Creed, Caliban continued the original reason for hailing. "We just got a scientist here who wants to bring a gargoyle with him. But she's nowhere in site." This gargoyle would later turn out to be Artemis. The scientist gave her description, and Creed went hunting.
It wasn't until the last minutes of the city's life before he found her. Once enough of the area had flattened itself, he could easily see the last remaining part of the block fall onto a winged form.
*
Memories made with adrenaline surging are rarely intact. All Creed can really recall now is the obvious. He dug her out and brought her back
His memory of Atlantis' final moments, however, he'll never forget. The entire island coughing up sprays of water in its death throes. The sobbing of those around him as they watched their home fade beneath the waves. And then the bright light as they were brought back to Prospero's Island.
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 4:55 pm
Her clan...her home...Gaul was burning before her in the blue of twilight. She saw the bodies of soldiers burned beyond recognition, and the rubble that had once been her people lay strewn across the roads. As she descended her cliff she began to walk toward Grannona. On her way she came across a legionare. It was Cicero, a bewildered look plastered on his face.
"What has happened?" She asks.
"We could not stop them."
"Who?"
"There were hoards of them, a sea of warriors" he continued.
"The barbarians? From the north?"
"We heard the rumors, but not in a thousand years could we imagine the slaughter."
This cannot be happening!, she thought.
"What happened to the clan?" She asked the soldier.
He looks at her in confusion. "What clan?"
"The clan! The clan of gargoyles!"
"Gone."
She shakes her head. "no...There must be others!"
"Are you deaf, Libby? They're dead! They attacked in broad daylight! Your clan is dead, and soon all of the western empire will burn."
"Then why was i spared! Why am i still alive!? Cicero!" She screamed.
He did not answer, he only continued down the road where more slaughter lay.
The gargess trembled in rage and realization. She was alone with no home to return to. She fell to the ground, the strength in her legs whisked away from her emotional breakdown.
"I am alone." She said, and the world crashed down upon her.
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 6:10 pm
Artemis suddenly awoke, her pulse racing. Sweat beaded down her face and soaked her hair. She was gasping for air. She lept up from the bed she was lying on. Just as her feet hit the ground she was overcome by an immense headache. "Ahhh..." she whimpered. The pain was so severe that it brought her to the ground. She stayed there for a moment holding her head. She began to remember what had happened to her. Atlantis was facing its demise. The city was being reduced to ruins and she was trying to escape. Then...the little boy, she had to save the boy. Then the darkness came...
Slowly she opened her eyes and looked around a bit. The architecture seemed very familiar as did the writing on the walls. "Impossible," she mumbled. This looks like Atlantis, but...the city was destroyed. "I don't believe any of this." She stood and walked out of the room. She kept her senses alert. The air was much different here than it was on Atlantis. It was less fragrant and not as fresh. She walked by a few people, but they didn't seem to take any particular interest in her. After trying to find her way out for several minutes she decided to cut her search short. When she found a room with a window in it she jumped out and began gliding about. She was surprised by what she saw. There were humans and gargoyles everywhere. The streets were packed with races that she had never even seen before. The technology seemed to rival that of Atlantis, if not surpassing it.
She landed on a roof top and studied her surroundings for a while. What is this place? I've never even heard of anything like it. The best way to find out about a new place is to blend right in with everyone else. Seeing that the sun had just set she knew she would have to remain full gargoyle so as not to rouse suspision. She wandered about making sure to keep herself in the shadows. She wanted to remain as unnoticeable as possible. She slowed when she passed large gossiping groups, trying to pull as much information from their rambling as she could. From what she understood she was on an island. Nothing new there she thought. She continued on her journey through the city. The gentle breeze sent her blue hair dancing across her face. Her gray skin seemed to glow softly in the moonlight. She sighed, growing weary of the dull conversatons that surrounded her. She pressed on though, the need for information outweighing the annoyance of her boredom.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 10:13 am
Creed's skybike lurched a couple meters upwards once he reached a trafficway. There really weren't a lot of cars floating around this time of night, as it's commonly accepted that gargoyles have the right of way after dark. People were definitely still about, though; teenagers looking for a place to party, workaholics, insomniacs - Milan really doesn't ever shut down completely.
He had developed quite a fondness for his bike in recent months, after the Atlantis mission. It helped get the Atlantian off his mind, at the time. Such a crumpled form - barely alive when he brought her back. It was surreal, how they managed to lock her body in stasis using technology their barely understood, until they learned more from the Atlantians about using their medical devices that were recovered.
Each night, after waking, he would go across the street and see what they'd learned. And one day, when he woke, she was gone. Her doctors had no idea, they had gone home already. The last thing they expected was her to wake up so soon. "At least a month," they had said, for her body to absorb the stress. Creed knew she was no ordinary gargess.
A glowing streak pulled Creed from his reverie, as a small city-pixie landed on his handlebars, grinning at him. The little devil was about as tall as his hand was long, with colorful gossamer wings sparkling behind her. "A Deed has been set for Creed!" She giggled. The rider sighed, fey humor grew old quickly.
These pixies just love to be messengers for some reason. They love hunting down whoever it is you want to contact. It's a big game for them, and most of those who live in Milan enjoy their company and services. Make someone happy, and you too are happy. Another one of Prospero's sayings.
He had used this particular pixie many times before, in any case. They tend to hang around a single city block as their starting areas, playing tag or hide and seek with one another until someone wants to find someone else. It's not uncommon for an entire flock of these things to race each other to the destined target. One of those times was when Creed sent for Artemis the day she awoke.
(Enter: City-Pixies
Excellent trackers, essentially the casual cell phones of Milan. Only really important stuff requires the use of radios.
Defense: 24
Flight Speed: 40 feet. 80 feet a round. 160 feet when hauling pixie butt.)
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:25 pm
((Cool, Pixies!))
Continuing her quest for information, Artemis rounded a corner and came upon a group of gargoyles and human teenagers. They seemed to be playing a game of sorts. She slao noticed a small shimmering creature that came to her and hovered about 8 inches from her face. She pulled her head back to get a better look at it. As she did it flew closer to her. She swatted at it in annoyance. The creature easily avoided her hand and positioned itself in the same place. She tried to evade the tiny thing, but it kept itself in her face, giggling at her efforts to rid herself of it. Artemis turned from it only to find herself facing a handfull more. "What the hell?" she questioned. Quickly growing weary of these giggling mosquitos, she sprinted down a feww alleyways until she found herself at a dead end. She quickly turned to find herself confronted by a small army of laughing colors.
"What do you want?" she growled, obviously enraged.
"Come with us." one said with the others echoing.
"Yes, yes, you must come. Creed desires your company."
Artemis was quite confused. "Who?" As she spoke they began hearding her about. "What are you?"
One of the them flew up to her face and said cheerfully, "Pixies."
"What?" Try as she might to escape them, she could not. They danced about her and led her to what seemed to be no place in particular. When she realized that fighting them wasn't getting her anywhere, she chose to follow them willingly.
"Here, here. Come up. You must go up." one said when they had reached another dead end. She did as she was told and climbed the high building until she reached the roof.
"Wait here."
"Yes, wait here. He'll be here" with that the sparkling cloud of pixies flew their separate ways leaving Artemis alone on the rooftop, waiting.
And here I though I'd seen everything. She perched herself on a large pipe that ran the lengthof the roof. The breeze had subsided and left the air a bit muggy. She looked above her and saw vehicles moving about in the air. She squinted her eyes and drew her brows together, tryign to understand this place. So much like home, yet so different. How can it be? As she waited she noticed one of the aircrafts seemed to be making it's way toward her. She stood up, awaiting it's arival.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 2:03 pm
The sign read Caletes. She traveled far to the north only to hit water. She knew of other clans, but had only seen more piles of stone. Perhaps the clans of the northern islands had survived? She doubted those barbarous tribes would cross the ocean, for the English had enough battles on their hands as it was. Even if she could reach the islands, what would be there for her? More death? Another clan? It would not matter. She sat down on the shore, tracing shapes into the sand. She was cold, hungry and alone.
I should have gone with Cicero. she thought. He would have at least been a bit of company.
She wished for a thousand different things. The wrath of the old gods to stop the barbarians, something to return her clan, but all were in vain. What's done is done, and she could do nothing but go on with her life somewhere new. But where? Crossing the water was impossible, and no one knew what lied beyond Constantinople.
She laid back looking up at the heavens. The moon was so bright tonight. A star shot across the sky. Was it a star? It had to be. But she had never seen a shooting star move like that...
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 8:25 pm
((To clarify, there's a memory within a memory in this post))
"What is it, Anya?" Creed asked the giggling little imp on his handlebars. He didn't even bother to look down at her. Something was different about today. He was in a mood for some reason. He continued with his memories of finding Artemis.
*
On second thought, I'll just do my best to follow them. Creed thought to himself as the flock of pixies blasted off. They were having far too much fun doing him a favor. That's why no one felt bad about asking them to do things. He was already getting onto Ali's bike when he saw the lead messenger vanish from site.
"Prospero's Mercy. They're too fast." He muttered as the skybike quickly accelerated, rising into the night. He sped along, doing his best to catch up to the multicolored streaks. They'd do a quick turn, and he'd have to cut through alleyways in order to not lose sight of them. He passed under a very Roman-style arch supporting a bridge, and as he tossed aside a howling cat he picked up in the last alley he remembered about the fall of Rome.
**
"What do you mean he wasn't in Rome?" Prospero asked Caliban and the small retinue of gargoyles and humans with him. Creed included - his first assignment as a tracker failed horribly, even with the help he had. The middle-aged sorcerer wasn't upset in the slightest - amazingly curious would be a more accurate approach.
They were in Prospero's grand foyer, reporting back from a recent excursion to Rome, two days before it was to be sacked by maurading forces. An architect should have been there, but he wasn't, and because a giant floating island is a little obvious, he had a small force enter the city to assure the architect would survive until he got to a coast, for Milanian pick up.
"From what we could understand, everyone who knew him said he left town." Caliban continued.
"Well then," Prospero started. "Let's go find him."
**
Finally, the colored streaks stopped moving altogether, in the distance, snapping the wingless gargoyle to attention. As he drew nearer, he noticed the gargess waiting there for him, her figure mostly lit by the pixies that curiously surrounded her.
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:54 am
As he approached, Artemis noticed that for the most part he looked like an average gargoyle except...that he had no wings. That's odd she thought.
She always did remember his lack of wings. Even now. She took in a deep breath of air, almost enjoying it. The sun had set a few hours ago and the city was alive with creatures of the night. As she soared over the area, she looked down at all the commotion. There was more activity tonight than usual. Large groups of people seemed to be at every corner.
Geting a bit annoyed by all of the noise, Artemis decided to visit Libby, who conveniently lived in a quiet part of town. On her way she noticed there were a great number of pixies madly flying about. She smirked Who needs invitations when you've got them. In the bustle, one approached her.
"Come to the party, will you?" it inquired.
"I don't do parties." she responded dryly. The messenger gave a sigh and left. The pixies had learned that when Artemis said no she meant it. As she neared Libby's house, she dropped to the ground and walked the rest of the way. As she did, or tried to do so, she was constantly bumped into by drunken fools. She quickened her pace and arrived at Libby's doorstep. She folded her wings and knocked on the door.
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Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:11 pm
As the lights grew closer Libby became aware that they were not stars, but pixies as one landed on her outstretched hand.
"What is wrong?" the perched fae asked. "You look so sad."
She sighed. "My clan is dead, and soon all of the Empire will burn. I have no home anymore, and no where else to go."
"Why don't you come with me?"
"That is very kind of you, but i don't think i would fit in."
"Of course you will!" Said the pixie. "There are lots of gargoyles where i'm from!"
Libby gave a confused stare to the creature. Where was it this little one could be from? Perhaps far to the east or south of Egypt, but that would take months even for a creature of magic.
"Where are you from?" Libby asked.
The fae let out a giggle. "That's a secret! I have to show you!"
Now the gargess was completely confused. The fae lifted off her finger and into the sky.
"Creed can take you!" the pixie exclaimed, pointing toward the sea.
"Let go of me!" shouted the gargess. "who is creed? And where am i ...going?"
Libby's attention withdrew from the fae to a new sight. From out of the fog he came forth.
"That's Creed!" piqued the pixie.
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Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:36 pm
"So-so." Boredom was written all over Artemis' face. "This place is great, isn't it? For a while anyway. Once the new wears off it's just as dull as any other place." She walked around the room a bit. She noticed a book sittng beside a chair. She smiled, guessing that she had disturbed Libby's reading.
"I think I'm going to move to another area for a while. I've lived on this part of the island since I came and honestly I'm fed up with it. Would you like to come along? As much as I like to be alone, I think this time I would like some company. What do you say?"
Arti hoped that she would come along. For some strange reason lately she felt as though she needed another's company. The feeling made her uncomfortable, but she ignored that aspect. Besides, she thought, Libby is one of the few people that I get along with well. She's trustworthy as well.
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Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 9:02 pm
[Present]
Creed gave out a sigh as he looked outwards over the island from a favorite spot of his, which gave a remarkable lookout from the city. The lights of homes faded into sparse bonfires, lighting tiny castles in the distance. He couldn't tell where the island stopped and the water began. He barely gave notice to the whining Anya trying to pull his horn in the direction he should be going.
**
[Meeting Libby]
Prospero had teleported a pixie, and a few other people to northern Europe to search for the Roman who had eluded them unknowingly. Creed was one of those taken in the group, and be it luck or fate he was also the one closest, when the fae found him. The refugee wore some decent haggard robes over his high-quality outfit underneath.
After catching up to the man, Creed explained his options to him. Either he follows the red pixie, and his story continues - or he chooses the dark blue lonely nights before him. Intelligence was displayed, and the man followed. The giddy flying light zoomed ahead and into the sky to show them the way back to the coast, due to the fog rolling around.
They didn't talk much on the way there. Creed would rather leave that to Prospero. He just wanted to go home and continue getting used to the island.
When the glowing orb suddenly fell out of the sky, in the distance, the human mentioned something about how they could get lost in the mists. The gargoyle assured him she was still in sight, and soon they escaped the fog only to see the pixie flitting around what appeared to be a gargoyle. A female gargoyle, at that.
"Hurry up. Looks like we have another passenger." He whispered to the Roman behind him.
When they reached her, Creed brought the mystical island to her attention at it appeared out in the distance. He learned she was also Clanless, and homeless, so he offered her the same deal as the human. She accepted.
The pixie then joyously rose into the sky, signaling for a boat to come pick them up. Almost instantly a sloop came into view out of the dark, and the tired little pixie descended onto it for a rest. Caliban and the other trackers were on it, and greeted the gargess most respectfully.
**
[Meeting Artemis]
"You sure you should be out so soon after recovering from surgery, gargess?" Creed asked as he turned his bike perpendicular to her, cutting the engine so it would slowly drift towards her until it stopped gently at her feet. The metals were quick to creak as they cooled, he had been pushing his ride to try and keep up with the pixies.
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 9:30 pm
((... gonk Gah! I'm sorry for holding everyone up! It was parents' weekend at my college, so i out and about all day friday and saturday, and then i had to read Kafka yesterday, which took me forever since i have a short attention span. So anyway...))
Please don't fall in. Please don't fall in... raced through the gargess' mind all the while she sat on the boat. It's not that she feared the water, oh not at all. She just couldn't swim, and wearing the heavy bronze armor. She looked down at the moon-bathed water and back up toward the others in the boat. Across from her sat an older human. He stared at her in disbelief. She knew there were not as many of her kind as there were humans, but he must have at least known they exist. She shot him a counter stare, and he looked away.
Behind the man was a gargoyle. He was male, taller than her and blue in complexion. All in all he was normal, save he had no wings. Perhaps a deformity? Or maybe he lost them in battle. Perhaps she will ask, but not now. It would be rude to flat out ask someone she only just met. Some day she will, though. That was a fact.
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Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 8:27 am
((Sorry I haven't been on for so long, but I've been really sick sad . I feel a lot better now though. Also Arti will be taking a quick hiatus while she gets revamped a bit. Nothing major, just a few weapons changes and character attitude adjustments.))
Artemis knew what she had to do. The winds were calling her. I shouldn't be gone long she thought. Just long enough to get everything in order and then I'll return. Arti had grown weary of city life long ago. Being around people constantly wore on her as well. She needed to get as far from everything as she could. She had decided to leave the city, without anyone's knowledge, and hide away until she got herself back together.
She lept off the rooftop and began gliding away from the town. The sunrise was beautiful. She rode the air currents for a good part of the day before finding a good place to settle. She landed in a small meadow near a mountain range. From there she took off on foot looking for the perfect place to meditate and relax.
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