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  [SE] Rose red
Posted by: Hadama - 03-18-2024, 07:17 PM - Forum: Crimson Cataract - Replies (1)

From the shrine in Ludo's Woods they traveled south. The journey was a quiet one, Hadama lost in thought after his offering to Ludo's shrine. He missed Ray, but he had nothing on him of hers that he could easily leave for the god. But he would make a lantern for her this year, to light her way at the Festival.

Assuming there would be one. Strange, that he had not yet heard of where it would take place...

There had been no celebration in Longheat, either, for Safrin or Dygra.

His thoughts circled, deep and heavy, but he kept his eyes sharply open as he swam along beside Noah, seeking the tell-tale crimson and gold of the roses that had brought them there. "There is supposed to be a shrine at the Cataract," he said slowly, thoughts shifting slowly back to their current task. "Perhaps we should leave an offering there, too? For Frey's guidance in finding the flowers." At this point any help would be most welcome.

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  {se} Trees in a Storm
Posted by: Hotaru - 03-18-2024, 02:13 AM - Forum: Ludo's Woods - Replies (3)

Hotaru had intended to visit Maea while leaving an offering for Ludo, only to realize after talking it over with Sunjata and Talyson that no Old God shrines remained in the Grounds. While it would have been easy to invite Maea to King's End to accomplish the same thing, Hotaru had once lived in the Greatwood, and her fondness for it - as well as its geographical closeness to the Grounds - had encouraged her to establish Ludo's Woods as their meeting ground instead in the letter she sent.

Now, she is sunbathing in the patch of sunlight filtering through the otherwise oppressive canopy overhead, hands planted in the earth behind her hips and face tilted up toward the sun. Her mountain lion tail and ears sprout tawny-gold, distracting away from the newness of her golden glow and shifting, gossamer hair. In this patch of sunlight she looks like she always has; happier yes, but unchanged. If she were not waiting for Maea she would have fully shifted, but too many large cats prowl these woods as is, and she couldn't be certain that the Ancient would have known it was her. So instead she lets the rays overhead hypnotize her into an almost meditative state, tail moving lazy and pleased through the leaf-littered grass as she waits for her companion to arrive.

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  [SE] it wasn't because I didn't know enough
Posted by: Maea - 03-16-2024, 04:14 AM - Forum: Atheneum - Replies (2)

Rain hammered against the tiny windows near the ceiling. It had been pouring for the better part of the day and a chill damp radiated through the new Lorekeeper's office despite the crackling fire within the common room hearth and the brazier within the study itself, where embers glowed red and lit up the metal container from within.

Maea noticed none of this. At some point she had drawn a shawl about her shoulders and brought herself a cup of tea. The brew had long since gone cold however, and sat half-empty amidst a sea of letters, reports and scribbled notes that crowded her desk. Deeply engrossed in her work to compile everything she had learned about the Starfall incident and the Void outbreak on Caido, the Loreseeker barely registered how the daylight faded, or when the thunder stopped grumbling over the city beyond. Every now and then she looked up from her work to reference a letter from the pile that Kiada had sent over, or to cross reference a date with the long list of notes she had compiled of her own conversations with various individuals.

Much remained infuriatingly unclear. There were gaps wide as barn doors in the collective knowledge about this whole matter, a realization that only became more obvious the further she progressed in her writing.

Finally, when she couldn't wrest anything else from the correspondence or her own memory, she signed off the report and set it aside with a weary sigh. Leaning back in her seat, Maea rubbed her stiff neck and closed her eyes for a moment. Something rustled in a corner; a book shifted on its shelf on the wall, and thudded loudly to the floor. She didn't look up. The chill in the room had as much to do with spirits of the dead as with the weather, and there was nothing she could do to help them. A subject for an entirely different report; one that would have to wait until some later date.

After a moment of rest, she reached for the quill again and pulled over a scrap of parchment. On it, she jutted down a list of what she still had left to do;

  • Write to Lena in Stormbreak, about void sightings
  • Outline for Void experiments, decide on location
  • Diplomatic talks? Ball? Talk to Danta
  • ...

The pen tapped against the page, leaving blots of ink behind while she considered. Maea was sure there was more. Not feeding the dread creatures in the Maverick's office - she needed no reminder of that duty. But though she wrecked her brain, she couldn't think of what it was. It was late, and she was tired - perhaps it would come to her in the morning.

Slowly, stiff in the fingers from the unpleasant chill, she began to clean up the chaos on the desk. Stacks of letter and notes grew into piles, returned to envelopes, disappeared into the trash bin or was eaten up by flames in the cases where she threw them onto the brazier.

And all the while, silence reigned over the old guildhall. Until an indistinct noise in the hallway beyond her office caused her hands to grow still, and Maea listening intently for a hint as to what it was. A visitor at this hour? Something else entirely? It better not be more ghosts.

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  I'm high on believing
Posted by: Maea - 03-15-2024, 10:59 AM - Forum: Glade - Replies (18)

The sun hung low over the treetops. Golden hour had already passed and shadows melted into one another in early twilight. Walking away from the campsite where firepit and bedroll waited, Maea carried a bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows tied to the belt, while the light pack strapped to her shoulders swelled with the bulk of her dress.
Her breath fogged gently in the still air. Any hint of warmth faded with the light, and she was glad for the extra sweater beneath the usual coat. It would have been warmer to do this in her tiger form, but for every step she took dry leaves and twigs broke like tinder under her feet no matter how careful she tried to be. A molten tiger would be the perfect spark to set off a wildfire... and while that was well and good, she needed her game extra rare today.

Plenty of deer passed through the meadow. It did not take her long to find the tracks of one who had passed through recently; following along the meandering path, she came upon a cluster of trees near the edge of the glade. Movement within the tangle of briar and saplings had her slowing to near standstill. Crouching to make herself less visible, cold fingers fumbled for an arrow and quietly nocked it to the string. Another blur of movement, brown and white blending with the dry leaves and rough barked trees told her that her target was not going anywhere in a hurry.
Straightening in a smooth motion, she plied the bow and took aim. With a twang that shattered the quiet the arrow loosed; already reaching for another, Maea started forward with bloodlust simmering in her throat. It had been a good shot, normally the last thing she wanted was to let the prey suffer... but part of her really hoped it wouldn't be dead already.

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  {RQ} Petalworks
Posted by: Jude - 03-08-2024, 03:57 AM - Forum: Undercroft - Replies (7)

Jude does not think himself to be a coward, but he knows he's not the most courageous young man either, even with a demigod like Remi at his side. So when he proposes digging up infected echo ferns as the easiest plant to keep alive and return to Safrin, he ignores how pathetic that makes him feel - and keeps himself and the Lullaby to a more populated area around the roots of the Undercroft.

After how kind Ronin had been, and armed with stories from his mother about the two of them, Jude is hopeful he won't be overwhelmed by the intimidation that seems to hang around Remi like a cloak. [say]"What do you think is the best way to dig up the roots from a distance?"[/say] Phoebe's warm brown eyes peer up from beneath much darker curls, clearly referencing the unsettling ferns growing otherwise innocuously a few feet from them.

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  [SE] Once upon a time
Posted by: Maea - 03-07-2024, 03:56 PM - Forum: Atheneum - Replies (12)

Rain pattered against the high windows. The light of the afternoon had paled and vanished behind dark clouds and every once in a while thunder rumbled across the sky. Intermittent lightning sent shadows shooting far and wide across the floor and lingered as an echoe reverberating among the rafters, until the Aetheneum seemed to hum like a giant bell.

Browsing the stacks, Maea didn't much enjoy the weather. While the rain was good and necessary, a chill had seeped into her bones along with the damp. She longed to curl up by a fireplace with a good book, but the lightning cut off her train of thought whenever she found something that seemed promising and for a while now she had merely been roaming aimlessly, with her fingers idling over spinesof leather and cloth, until dust and vellum seemed etched into her very skin.

It was not, perhaps, the wisest thing to be doing in this particular library.

One careless touch was all it took. Her fingers simply snagged on a volume that protruded from the rest within the shelf, and all of a sudden it fairly leaped out. With a startled gasp Maea spun back to catch it in both hands, and as she did the book fell open upon her open palms. A flash of light more golden than the lightning lit up the Aetheneum for but a second - and when it faded only the book remained, lying open on the floor whilst motes of dust slowly glimmered in and out of focus.



Open! SE to pretend to be someone else.
2 characters can join.
No post order.
48 hour posting window before the story progresses.
To participate, have your character arriving and touching the book!

Sentient Books (uncommon): Occasionally books may move about the atheneum on their own. If opened, these books can transport a group of no more than three into whatever tale is written inside of them. No lasting damage can be done while inside this story-like world and nothing can be transferred back and forth.

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  as mean as a wolf, as sharp as a tooth
Posted by: Dorian - 02-21-2024, 07:54 PM - Forum: The Wildwood - Replies (3)

Tendrils of warm sunlight streamed through the monolithic trees of the Greatwood as the season drew to a close, casting enchanting patterns of light and shadow upon the forest floor. Motes of dust danced lazily in the air, accompanied by the ethereal glow of will o' wisps that flickered like distant stars in the daylight.

Amidst this serene spectacle of nature, Dorian stood at the edge of the woods, a stark contrast to the whimsical beauty surrounding him. His figure, framed against the verdant backdrop, exuded an aura of calculated intent, his gaze piercing yet inscrutable as he observed the tranquil scene before him.

With his hands clasped neatly behind his back, Dorian surveyed the towering oaks and firs with a sense of detached admiration. They had flourished under nature's care, thriving in their own realm of magic and mystery. Yet, for Dorian, they were but pawns in a grander scheme, waiting to be manipulated to serve his own ambitions.

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  Watching stars fall over our heads
Posted by: Jude - 12-05-2023, 08:41 PM - Forum: Domiciles - Replies (9)

Jude has a letter sitting on his coffee table in his little studio apartment in Torchline that he hasn’t responded to. He’d been halfway through a response when Sohalia had shown up, throwing what little sanity and composure Jude currently has into the ocean and leaving him staring at half-written words blankly for days on end. How is he supposed to keep lying to his mom?

He visits her every few weeks. Not as often as Edmund given his brother is able to traverse the distance much faster - something he was never bitter about before, but which he has started to feel creeping in along his ribs as if born into existence by all the other hateful, unfamiliar feelings he’s been experiencing. He hasn’t been by this season though, and for good reason. There’s no way his Maman won’t see through his abysmal poker face in person. At least in letters he can lie and reassure, invent fun things to tell her that don’t exist outside his own head.

But he doesn’t think he can keep moving forward anymore. Noe is his only crutch, because he tries not to lean too much on Edmund - bright, bloody star that his brother is, with all his potential and power - but even that crutch isn’t enough.

So he packs up a small bag, bids goodbye to Noe, and takes the first skyboat to the Grounds without any notice for his mother.

He shows up at her door, face still mottled with old bruises because he hadn’t stopped by the Fountain before he left, clothes and hair ruffled and eyes dark. [say]“Salut, Maman,”[/say] he murmurs when she opens the door, throat tight. Jude doesn’t want her to see him this way, doesn’t want to worry or disappoint her, but the need for her comfort outweighs his reluctance.

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  to try and float
Posted by: Maeve - 12-04-2023, 08:43 PM - Forum: Domiciles - Replies (9)

The rain hadn't stopped. Wouldn't stop. She'd given up counting the days and wishing for sunshine. Maeve hadn't thought she missed the sun that much, but she'd been wrong. The constant deluge of rain reminded her of the monsoons and the many nights she'd spent alone.

Her arms tighten around her middle, squeezing her own waist in what was meant to be a comforting gesture. It fell short like it always did. Her own touch wasn't a stand in for human contact. Something she didn't have much of these days. The war had done a number on her, making her shy away from her once beloved home in Torchline and seek refuge elsewhere. Originally Halo had been on her mind, figuring it was far enough away that she could hide from anyone who might have words for the former queen, but when she reached out to Noah he'd suggested the Grounds. The demigod having gone so far as to find her an empty house on the very edges of the Domiciles, respecting her request for privacy and ensuring that no one knew she was there.

That hadn't included her children, of course. Edmund and Jude both being given her location when she decided to leave Torchline in favor of her health. Harper was aware, too. Not of her exact location, but that she had left. That it was for her health. He'd encouraged her to do so, knowing it was for the best, and only ever wanting her to be okay again.

She'd been here for a few seasons now. Almost a year and the Nightshade was better for it. Even if her progress was slow moving.

Maeve didn't jump at every sound now or have nightmares nearly as often. The stress of the war, leading, and her crumbling relationships further from her mind each day. Yes, she was doing better, but the loneliness was hard to keep at bay. Especially during the evenings when the rest of the world went quiet.

Aidon lifts his head from his clawed feet, orange eyes studying his bondmate as he gives a low trill, a comforting wave nudging against their shared connection. [say]"I'm fine.."[/say] She murmurs, one of the first things she's said all day and she winces at the unfamiliarity of her voice. Her eyes flick to the clock, lips pressing in a thin line as it inches further past six thirty and unease begins to swirl in her belly.

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  in the process of clearin' out cobwebs
Posted by: Cordelia - 12-01-2023, 06:25 PM - Forum: Domiciles - Replies (19)

Cordelia hadn't know a time in her life when she'd been separated from her cousin for so long. Not since he became a part of her family. The ache left in her chest at the idea of being without a member of her pack was unfathomable. Part of it, of course, was her own doing. Choosing to hide away from anyone and everyone, self inflicting isolation on herself for a reason she couldn't even remember now. Was it fear for the twins? Her own hormones urging her to hide away? Her distaste for the Grounds causing her to retaliate in a way that made little sense now that she thought back?

The One Shot couldn't say.

All she knew now was that she needed to see her family. Desperately.

Sah doesn't even get a chance to knock on her door before the Attuned is wrenching it open, practically tackling him despite the monsoon raging on outside, threatening to soak them to the bone if they don't get inside. [say]"I've missed you so much. Don't ever let me do that again."[/say] She muttered against his shoulder, squeezing so tightly there was a real threat she might force all the air from his lungs.

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