children of the rain and snow
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
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#1
Amalia
she was afraid of heights
Amalia lies on her back in the woods, not particularly caring who finds her. After all, what's the worst that will happen?

She'll get thrown in jail?

The Shield had flown in on wings of starlight, a shadow in the falling night. Never one to be left behind, Jyoti followed eagerly, the little starwhale rather more conspicuous than her owl companion as they make their way out of the settlement and across the fields and past the border of the Hollowed Grounds. Zariah may have guards and floozies, but the girl knows this land as well as she knows herself. It is easy enough for her to slip by, evade a man at the edge of the Outskirts and find her way into the woods.

Amalia sighs and closes her eyes, as though by doing so she might forget for just a moment all that's gone wrong. Between her fingers is a simple toy, a silk-spun puppet she'd enjoyed as a girl. It looks like Ludo, soft black rags and a white stone mask with strings to allow for simple movement. Her grandmother made it years ago, part of a puppet show the woman put on every year for the Festival of Lights. It is a remnant of a simpler time, when all the girl worried about were loaves of bread left too long in the oven and what lesson of her mother she would have to endure. Staring up through the crimson trees, Amalia exhales a breath. How nice would it be to stay here forever, safe beneath the canopies, wrapped in the stillness and scent of the boughs? Away from the squabbles of Queens and convicts, escapees of responsibility, of threats and fears? Here where the world is still peaceful and pure, beautiful, unblighted-

Except that it's not.

"See, Jyo? This is Ludo. It leads spirits off to Mort." The whale knows all this, of course- she is older than Amalia, or so the baker has come to suspect. But it comforts the girl to repeat the stories, and the starwhale never seems to mind. "It can take the form of those who are lost to us, to remind us who we love. It was always my grandmother's favorite; she used to say it came to be because of Mort's love for us." Her nimble fingers raise the figure, making it dance against the dark sky.
but she was much more afraid
of never flying
Spooky Rags


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#2

"Oh. It is a me."

Ludo sat up in the branches of the tree that Amalia was lying beneath, swinging long legs beneath its rags and seeming to have no need for balance. Its rags writhed and danced around its form, its mask tilting this way and that to watch the little puppet-Ludo as it moved and danced.

"I am quite lovely. I like this very much." Drifting down before Amalia (its mask would hover above her face - Ludo cared nought for personal space), it reached out a tendril of fabric to pat Jyoti gently upon the head. "And hello to you, small starwhale."

LUDO
Braved the forests, braved the stone
Braved the icy winds and fire
Braved and beat them on my own

Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
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Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#3
Amalia
she was afraid of heights
Amalia blinks as Ludo appears, smiling slightly at the being who sits among the trees. "It is a you," she softly agrees, moving her fingers to make the puppet reach up and wave, its black silky rags fluttering lightly as it floats above her sternum. "My grandmother used to put on a show in the Festival of Lights, do you remember? I... I'm sorry I haven't done it, since she died."

Sitting up, she is surprised to find herself face to face with the porcelain mask of the soul collector Blinking, she freezes, for a moment bemused. Jyoti has no such trepidation, the little calf cooing and humming at the attention, a smattering of starlight leaving her spout. Brazenly she swims among the being's fabric, playing her own strange game of peek-a-boo as Amalia stares on, utterly transfixed.

"Are these your woods?" Amalia asks, glancing back among the red trees. "They're beautiful. Have they been safe from the blight?"
but she was much more afraid
of never flying
Spooky Rags


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#4

Obviously Ludo waved back at itself, a rag flapping hello to the puppet that Amalia controlled. "Yes, I remember very well. She still does." Its words were soft, a casual blurring of the lines between life and death - though since the fall of the barrier and the souls making their way to Mort, even Ludo did not know whether the show would go on this year. "A shame - I think you play me very well," it advised, turning and drifting and finally settling somewhere to Amalia's right.

If a mask could look gleeful, Ludo managed it, giggling as Jyoti peeked in and out of the fabric of its rags. "Hm? Yes, these are my woods. You must be careful not to disturb the lanterns here," it said. "...And yes. The blight has come here too."

LUDO
Braved the forests, braved the stone
Braved the icy winds and fire
Braved and beat them on my own

Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
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Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#5
Amalia
she was afraid of heights
"She does?" Amalia cannot say she is surprised, but the reminder that her grandmother is just beyond the veil never fails to send a shock of happiness through her, a peace and safety that is hard, these days, to find. The little Ludo continues to flutter, dancing and spinning over her chest. Its compliment makes the girl flush happily, and she smiles as she stares at the sky, shy and a little pleased. "Maybe I can find someone to help me with it this year. If you would like."

Jyoti bubbles and hums with mirth as she continues to play with the god, too in love with the world to know to be reverent, spatters of starlight fluttering among fabric. "Did the Fae leave the lanterns here?" She glances among them, letting the puppet Ludo rest a moment. "They're beautiful."

Amalia's face grows troubled at the knowledge that the blight is pushing on, the knowledge that even a place like this isn't safe settling like lead in her stomach. "There has to be a way to stop it," she muses, as much to herself as to Ludo. "What will happen to the woods if it continues? And the lanterns?"
but she was much more afraid
of never flying
Spooky Rags


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#6

"Yes please. I think I would like this. Perhaps I can help too." Ludo reached out with a tendril of its own rags to tickle at the puppet version of itself that Amalia controlled, though of course there was no tiny starwhale playing peekaboo with it. It did not seem ruffled at all by Jyoti's antics, thoroughly enjoying her exploration and playfulness as it spoke with her much more austere companion.

It nodded at her question regarding the lanterns. "They created this shrine for these woods. There are other lanterns, too. The Fae bury the ones who have passed on with lanterns, so they might find Mort. I help too - but sometimes the Cait Sith will get in the way." Its voice grew a touch grave, as if mere mention of the creature had touched a nerve.

Worse still was talk of the blight. "All will turn to rot and ruin," it said softly. "It is not I who can stop it, though. Not I and not Mort." It shook its head softly.

LUDO
Braved the forests, braved the stone
Braved the icy winds and fire
Braved and beat them on my own

Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
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Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#7
Amalia
she was afraid of heights
"I would like your help. What story should we tell?" Planning a puppet show with a faceless god - not the way she expected to spend her evening, but there are far worse things she could be doing. As though the world were still a place where things were normal, with festivals and merriment and lighthearted tales. Amalia isn't even sure the she will be free when the festival comes along, let alone that Zariah will allow it, that they will not be pressed away and shuttered and blinded and forced to prepare for an unknown war.

The change in Ludo's tone does not go unnoticed, and Amalia lift an eyebrow at the deity, concern laced on her face. "Cat Sith?" the baker repeats, not having heard of such a creature. "How does it get in the way?"

She wishes she could say it surprised her, that Ludo could not help with the blight. Disappointed, sure - not because of the god's admission, no, she could never be disappointed by those she reveres. Moreso with herself, her people, the mistakes that clearly led them here, into disasters grater than she could have dreamt, the death and rot of an innocent wood. "Do you know who can?"
but she was much more afraid
of never flying
Spooky Rags


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#8

"I like the story about when I played a trick on Safrin. Perhaps that will cheer her up." Because of course Ludo was aware of what had happened to his fellow deity, and for all of their rivalry and contention, Safrin was as much a part of the world as it was. And the blight would take her from that world, if something was not done. "I hear on the wind, that the blight has caught the attention of Vi," it explained, not needing to mention that Amalia was the cause of that very attention. "I believe that wheels are already in motion. But all things take time."

As for Cait Sith, Ludo seemed to stiffen (odd, for rags to do, but still). "It is an ancient creature of the woods, and a terrible omen for the Fae who bury their dead. It takes the form of a black cat, with a white spot upon its chest. It waits for the souls of the freshly departed, and leads them astray when they emerge. They never reach Mort."

LUDO
Braved the forests, braved the stone
Braved the icy winds and fire
Braved and beat them on my own

Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
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Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#9
Amalia
she was afraid of heights
"I hope it does." There is a pang of sadness and guilt in her voice as she thinks of the goddess, incorporeal and flickering in the dark. "Would you like to play yourself? Or do you have someone in mind?" She can think of the story, one of many her grandmother would tell. Perhaps Jyoti can help with a backdrop.

Perhaps she will still be free by then.

Her cheeks color with pleasure and relief as Ludo mentions Vi's involvement, glad to have at least contributed something. "Is there anything we can do to help? I know Adruinna healed the Undine... Maybe she can soothe the woods?"

The explanation of the Cat Sith sends a shiver down her spine. "That's terrible. Is... Is there no way to stop it? Or protect the dead?" She thinks of Ronin and the monster hunters guild. She would rather not see it killed, but perhaps if it could be moved...
but she was much more afraid
of never flying
Spooky Rags


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#10

"I shall play Safrin," Ludo said, two scraps of rags coming together as if it was clapping its hands with delight, though unfortunately they were not destined to continue with such a light conversation. It shrugged, or near enough to it.

"I believe you have done all there is to be done, until such a time when Vi has completed his assessment. Arduinna may have healed the Undine, but... the blight will return. She did not heal it permanently." The porcelain mask tilted to watch Jyoti swim and play, as if it was preferable to watch the starwhale than to discuss the withering of the woods.

A shudder ran through the rags as they continued to speak of the Cait Sith. "It has been around for as long as the woods. I do not know that it can be stopped. Only deterred." And sentinels of Ludo's Woods were few and far between.

LUDO
Braved the forests, braved the stone
Braved the icy winds and fire
Braved and beat them on my own

Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
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Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#11
Amalia
she was afraid of heights
She cannot prevent the peal of giggles as Ludo announces its intent to play Safrin. The idea of the sweet raggy being as the stargod is strangely touching, if not a little odd. "Shall I make you a puppet? Or a costume?" Jyoti coos and swims through Ludo's rags, suddenly very invested in the process as well. At this rate the puppet show may turn into something of a fiasco, but at least it will be a lighthearted one.

That there is nothing to be done about the blight is, if not unexpected, still frustrating, unsettling. Amalia wants nothing more than to have a purpose, a means of service to protect and care, to give back to a world which has given her so much. "When he is done... anything we can do, we will." Conviction, affection, a promise made: Amalia will do everything in her power to aid and assist.

Ludo's discomfort with the Cat Sith pulls at the girl's heartstrings, makes her ache with empathy for the guide of souls. "Then how do we deter it?" Crossing her legs underneath her, the Shield regards the policeman mask with quiet reverence and determination. "If... if I can help, I want to. Vi... he charged me with protecting life. But I think the dead are... they're part of the cycle. So if there is anything to be done..."

She wants to help, to aid, to protect. And if she cannot defend the living, perhaps she can defend the dead.
but she was much more afraid
of never flying
Spooky Rags


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#12

"A costume, yes." Ludo's masked head bobbed with excitement. "I wish to look like the stars and the night sky." And Amalia had offered and it had accepted, and it would be so. Such were the ways of offerings. (At least in Ludo's mind).

It heard her out quietly, thoughtfully almost, as she spoke of Vi, of the blight, of the Cait Sith, the wandering dead, the wickedness in the woods. And it reached out gently, with a tendril of cloth... and boop!ed Amalia on the nose.

"No," it said. "No, Shield of Safrin. You do too much already, and you would be wise not to stretch yourself so thin. Leave the dead to the dead - the living are trouble enough."

LUDO
Braved the forests, braved the stone
Braved the icy winds and fire
Braved and beat them on my own

Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#13
Amalia
she was afraid of heights
She knows she should not be so amused by the idea of Ludo in a Safrin costume, but Amalia cannot restrain the giggles that peal from her lips. Clearing her throat in an attempt to compose herself, Amalia turns back to smile at Ludo, obedient and reverent but a little playful, too. "Very well," she answers gravely. "Safrin you shall be.'

Her stressors, her tirades, are met with silence, a thoughtfulness from the oddly expressive rags. Anxiety grips at her again; she wonders if perhaps the gods are tired of her endless missteps, her failed attempts to help. Whatever it is Amalia expects to happen, it is not the thing that does: Ludo's hand (?) bopping her nose gently, gentle consternation in it's voice.

An appropriate level of embarrassment passes over the baker's face, and she drops her head obediently, though she cannot say she agrees. "As you wish," she murmurs softly, dark eyes on the ground as she worries her lip. "Though, if I may- why did you call me thank? Zariah did, too, and some others. I don't understand."
but she was much more afraid
of never flying
Spooky Rags


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#14

Yes, Safrin it would be. Ludo seemed placated by that, a sunny expression upon its porcelain mask. And given that Amalia offered no resistance to its booping and its comments, it took that as confirmation that she would give herself a chance to relax and recover. Surging up to settle back amongst the lower branches of the tree that she relaxed beneath, Ludo dangled its legs and swung them back and forth.

"Because that is what you are," it said simply, the rags appearing to shrug. "Vi touched, protector of life - you are Safrin's shield, and it has been recognised by gods and mortals alike. Sometimes, when one acts a certain way, it is as though Caido itself recognises it. And thus, you are noticed."

LUDO
Braved the forests, braved the stone
Braved the icy winds and fire
Braved and beat them on my own



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