would smell as sweet
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
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Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#1
LOREN
Loren had safely stashed the other two roses at the Launceleyn manor, hidden deep within the depths of the building. Although he was loathe to part with them, he figured they were safer there than they were anywhere else, given how reluctant everyone seemed to be to approach his home. Of course he’d placed them on a high shelf so that the children couldn’t get to it. The third he had carefully tucked into his pack, along with all the supplies he’d need to plant and care for it. Once upon a time, the Launceleyn had moonlighted as a farmer, so he knew how to make sure plants thrived.

The instructions from the gods still burned in his mind, and his feet urged him onward faster and faster. Somehow, he managed to prevent himself from running towards the center of the Hollowed Grounds. Towards the place where this whole blight seemed to have originated. Towards the place they’d first come to in this insane new world. Towards the Spire.

It loomed in the distance even now, even partially in shambles as it was. He still hadn’t gotten the whole story about what had happened there, the battles won and lost, the lives taken and saved, all the chaos that his friends had been forced to endure without him. Soon the librarian finds himself in its shadow, but he keeps going, approaching it and circling it until he finds a patch of sunlight. This will do.

Kneeling, he set his pack down carefully and pulled a trowel from within. Carefully, he dug a small hole in the earth, just large enough to accommodate the rose, which he pulled from the pack next. He paused for just a moment to gaze at it with a look of beauty and hope. This had to be their salvation. If it wasn't, none of them knew what they would do.

Ronin
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
SUGAR - Mythical - Dragon (Ice Breath)
Played by: Honey Offline
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Posts: 6,100 | Total: 16,318
MP: 3061
#2
the wounds are open and bleeding out
"Another one of those fucking flowers, is it?" The voice that echoed through the hollows of the Spire hardly sounded like Ronin's; gruff and sneering, it said exactly what he thought of Vi's Roses.

The ex-captain all but strolled out from behind one of the larger pieces of crumbling Spire stone, his coat caught in a harsh, Deepfrost gale, his hair dirty and ruffled. Cold eyes regarded the Launceleyn as he attempted to dig a sweet little hole for the plant. He scoffed.

"And what exactly do you think it's going to do, Loren? It's a single rose." he snorted, circling around the other man much in the way a predator might.

THE
FALLEN STAR

Table coding by Sky
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#3
LOREN
The voice that echoed behind him was unexpected, and Loren spun, heart leaping to his throat at the sight of Ronin. The other man looked disheveled, and the way that he stalked around the Launceleyn caused every single one of the summoner’s instincts to clamor at him. Still, Loren forced himself to remain calm, though he clutched the rose to his chest. Even blighted as the king was, the librarian knew that this was his friend, or had been once upon a time. ”Every avalanche starts with a single pebble. So who knows what a single rose might do?” His voice was soft, gentle almost, a far cry from the other man’s and from their previous meeting, trying to coax some calmness into the other man. ”Besides it’s the will of the gods, Ronin.” And surely a demi-god himself would not stand in the way of that.

Regardless, it did not change the fact that Loren was going to plant this rose. So, without taking his eyes off the other man, and turning to keep Ronin in his sight, the summoner put Vi’s Rose into the ground where it belonged. The Launceleyn held his breath all the while, praying both that it would work and that Ronin wouldn’t do something to stop the librarian. Because, ill or not, former friends or not, Loren couldn’t let that happen. Of course, there was still work to make sure it was planted properly, but the Launceleyn wanted to see the king's reaction first.
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
SUGAR - Mythical - Dragon (Ice Breath)
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 6,100 | Total: 16,318
MP: 3061
#4
the wounds are open and bleeding out
A sneer curled across Ronin's lips as Loren clutched the rose to his chest like it was his baby, or some precious artifact. A weed, more like. The ex-captain strolled to a halt a few feet away from the summoner, gazing down at him with disdain, as if he was fighting not to roll his eyes. "Nothing," he said simply. "It will do precisely nothing. Just like every other pathetic plan people have come up with."

As the librarian mentioned the gods, Ronin spat at his feet, the saliva black as night. "Fuck the gods," he said, slowly and airily - it was freeing, not to have to pretend at piety any longer, or to care about the fate that would befall this rotten lump of dirt.

But it seemed as though his compelling arguments were going to do precisely nothing to stop Loren, much to his chagrin. Eyes sharpening and every muscle growing tense, Ronin all but growled as the rose was lowered into the ground. He surged forward - or at least he would appear to. The astral projection of Ronin would launch itself at Loren, aiming a dirty boot in a vicious kick towards the rose and any other part of the Launceleyn it could reach.

Of course, it wouldn't do anything but sail through the intended target, given that it couldn't affect anything in the physical world. But it made Ronin laugh, at least. And laugh he did, a spiteful sound that rang throughout the grounds of the Spire.

THE
FALLEN STAR

Table coding by Sky
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#5
LOREN
”Well, if it will do nothing, then why do you care if I plant it?” The more Ronin spoke, the more sure Loren was that the other man wasn’t in his right mind; whether the blight had progressed, or it was something else the Launceleyn couldn’t say. After all, the king had been through his fair share of tragedy, and the summoner wasn’t his favorite person at the moment, so it would hardly surprise the librarian if the other man had gone a bit crazy. When Ronin cursed the gods, however, Loren felt the faintest stirring of fear. Still, it didn’t stop the Launceleyn from planting his flower.

At which point Ronin surged forward, and Loren flung himself between the charging king and the Rose. But it passed harmlessly through: what it was, the Launceleyn couldn’t say exactly, but it had no substance to it. Something to consider another time, when the actual king, not his projection, wasn’t cackling, a sound that caused a shiver to pass down the librarian’s spine. Loren's eyes darted between where the illusory Ronin had been and the real one and blinked a Knowing that an actual, physical attack might be imminent—and wanting to block out the sound of the other man’s laughter—Loren conjured the strongest and tightest earplugs he could directly into his ears. There was something he wanted to try, but he’d only resort to it if reason failed. Which it very much might, given how Ronin was acting, so even as the summoner spoke he prepared another spell. ”Ronin, you’re not well. Come on, let’s go. I’m sure Remi is worried about you.” It was weird not being able to hear his own voice, just the vibrations, and he was sure he sounded odd, but it was necessary. And the laughter had cut off, or at least Loren couldn’t hear it anymore.
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
SUGAR - Mythical - Dragon (Ice Breath)
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 6,100 | Total: 16,318
MP: 3061
#6
the wounds are open and bleeding out
He cared, obviously, because Loren planting the rose meant that Ronin wasn't destroying the rose, and in his twisted logic that made all the difference. Either way, the Launceleyn was lucky - he had lost interest in the planting of the thing now it was in the ground (he could always come back and stomp on it later, he imagined). It was more fun, besides, to amuse himself in realising that his old friend was as much a punchbag as he had been before.

Letting out an undignified snort at the news that Remi was worried about him and that he should go and blah, blah, blah, the ex-captain folded his arms across his chest and stared down at the librarian. "I'm sure he is, but that doesn't mean I care. Do you know how to do anything but snivel and bargain, Loren? Get the fuck up and stop cowering over a flower."

THE
FALLEN STAR

Table coding by Sky
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#7
LOREN
Obviously Loren couldn’t hear Ronin anymore, so the Launceleyn just shook his head as the other man's mouth opened and closed. Normally, the summoner would try to read the king’s lips (yet another gift from Cyton), but the situation was too fraught for that, and the librarian was never particularly good at that art. Still, it was probably more of the same drivel that the other man had been spouting this whole time.

Unbeknownst to the Launceleyn, he followed the king’s orders by standing up. Next, the summoner squared off, ready for a fight: Loren was planted firmly between Ronin and the Rose, and the only way to get the librarian to move would be by force. ”Ronin, come on, let’s go.” Keeping his magic close to the surface, Loren eyed the other man. At the first sign of movement or danger, the summoner would strike. After the king’s display of strange magic earlier, the Launceleyn wasn’t taking any chances.
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
SUGAR - Mythical - Dragon (Ice Breath)
Played by: Honey Offline
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Posts: 6,100 | Total: 16,318
MP: 3061
#8
the wounds are open and bleeding out
Ronin tracked Loren to his feet with cold eyes, looking torn between smacking the self-righteousness out of him and deciding he wasn't worth the effort. And ultimately, in the end that latter point won out. Shoulders relaxing, utter disdain on his face, the hunter beheld Loren in his frail body, squaring up ridiculously against him, and sneered. All of this, over a rose.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," he said simply, glancing up into the skies over the head and acting as if to pluck one of the clouds down. And one did move, in fact, lazily swirling its way down towards them. "What are you going to do, Loren? Attack me?" He raised his eyebrows.

THE
FALLEN STAR

Table coding by Sky
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#9
LOREN
Loren still couldn’t hear Ronin’s words of course. But at least, facing the other man, the summoner could read some of them from the king’s lips. It wasn’t everything, but it was enough, combined with the way Ronin was acting, to convince to summoner that reason would not work hear and Loren should and could act first. So he cast the spell he’d been holding onto, despite his misgivings.

It started with a song, one that the Launceleyn could not hear, but which permeated the whole of the area. It originated from a strange looking creature that popped into being at the summoner’s side: it was mainly avian, with the body of a sparrow, though too large for that, coming up to Loren’s knee, and the head of a beautiful woman. It was a siren, one of those rare creatures that lured sailors to their doom. Time to see whether the siren’s song could overcome the madness of the blight.
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
SUGAR - Mythical - Dragon (Ice Breath)
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 6,100 | Total: 16,318
MP: 3061
#10
the wounds are open and bleeding out
Quite how Loren had reached a verdict of 'attack the leaving man' Ronin would never know, and he wasn't in his right mind to begin with. A fluffy nimbus had just settled beside him for him to hop onto when the siren appeared, her song penetrating deeply into his ears and mind. Whilst the ex-captain within was lured and soothed by the melody, the blight raged.

Hands clapping over his ears, expression twisting into a brutal snarl, Ronin took a few staggering steps back as if to try and distance himself from the siren. Of course that didn't work, and in the end the blight won out. Dropping his hands, he all but launched at Loren and the siren, intent on ripping the creature to bits if he got his hands on it, or stomping it into the ground.

THE
FALLEN STAR

Table coding by Sky
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#11
LOREN
Loren realized he might’ve miscalculated just a few seconds too late. As the cloud descended, the summoner’s eyes widened; Ronin apparently had quite a few tricks up his sleeve, and the Launceleyn probably should’ve learned about them before now. Still, it was too late for that now. When the blighted king charged forward, Loren sent the siren flying off to one side, hoping to draw Ronin away from both the summoner and the Rose. The siren had wings, so it took to the air, flying just above the ground for now.
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
SUGAR - Mythical - Dragon (Ice Breath)
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 6,100 | Total: 16,318
MP: 3061
#12
the wounds are open and bleeding out
The small nimbus abandoned for now, all of Ronin's rabid attention was for the siren - luckily not for its summoner, for he was singularly focused on destroying the twittering beast. As Loren sent it off to one side Ronin - of course - followed, swiping at the feathered creature and setting off again after it. Flying just above the ground was good enough for him; reaching back, Ronin loosed the axe he carried from its leather holster and swung it in a wide arc towards the siren.

If he could kill it, it would shut up (and that was the case whether or not it had already stopped singing) and he might even be able to use it as a snack. Still, clumsier than he would like in the snow, though he was heedless of the cold, it didn't seem likely that he'd catch the thing.

THE
FALLEN STAR

Table coding by Sky
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#13
LOREN
Thankfully, Ronin seemed totally fixated on the siren and not on Loren, which gave him some time to think. As the other man tossed an axe at the bird-woman, the Launceleyn commanded his creature to bank sharply to one side, and the weapon sped harmlessly past. Then Loren ordered his creature to fly slightly higher, and in the direction of the Launceleyn. Though this was very, very dangerous, the summoner was hoping to lure the king closer to the Launceleyn.
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
SUGAR - Mythical - Dragon (Ice Breath)
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 6,100 | Total: 16,318
MP: 3061
#14
the wounds are open and bleeding out
Loren wouldn't have to try very hard at all to get Ronin's attention, and he cursed under his breath as the axe went sailing harmlessly by the siren. Skidding in the snow and ice and ducking to retrieve his weapon, he wasn't able to turn quite as sharply, but he did manage it in time. Blue-black eyes narrowing with unfettered fury, Ronin's grip tightened hard on the axe as he sprung into a reckless charge, aiming himself square at the Launceleyn this time. Lure or not, he was definitely in the ex-captain's line of sight now.

THE
FALLEN STAR

Table coding by Sky


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