Key Quest teeth and bones


Age: 6 | Height: | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#1
key quest

The mist rolls in from the sea at dusk. Monsoon or no monsoon, Haulani is thick with it, and those foolish few who are out and about might see it - just - as it begins to slink around heels and drift between buildings. By the time the sun is set in earnest, Haulani is white-blind with fog; the stuff has draped itself over the place like a damp and suffocating blanket. Even those who walk together risk losing their companions within a step or two if they aren’t careful, and most need to hold onto each other just to get from A to B.

Still, while this is by no means a common occurrence, it’s hardly a cause for panic. The monsoons often bring unusual weather patterns with them, and this seems like yet another instance of nature asserting its influence. It’s as natural as the trees shedding their leaves, or the nights drawing in.

Then the screaming begins.

Mournful cries, agonised howls, crazed shrieks... they all rip through the air from somewhere deep within the belly of the mist, rising in a chorus of pure torture that doesn’t feel real. And it can’t possibly be real… can it? Because some Torchers might recognise voices among the screams, and a few might even hear words. Or their name. Or cries for help.

But not one of these voices belongs to people who are still living.

There is no telling yet how many have wandered off into the mist in an attempt to seek out the spectres of their loved ones. (If it is, indeed, a spectre that waits out there for them). None who have gone have returned yet, and only one thing is certain; it’s coming from the shoreline.



Welcome to the Key Quest.

This quest has four open slots:

1. Zephyr
2. Deimos
3. Sunjata
4. Raza

You have 48 hours to respond - please post your character arriving at the shoreline (preferably in convenient earshot of the rest of the party so you’re like... an actual group, lmao).

So that nothing is missed, please include a quick summary at the bottom of your post.

REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding, but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters - join at your own risk!

Zephyr Kawaianu
Smuggler / Guildmaster

Age: 42 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 5 - Strg: 25 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 26 - Luck: 10 - Int:
KI - Regular - Panther Chamelon
Played by: shark Offline
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MP: 2580
#2
zephyr
The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
Well fuck.

You should ignore it all, except that you recently saw Ray's ghost and now here is El, crying out for rescue, so of course your idiotic ass goes to the shore.

Oh, you know she's dead. You're not stupid. Some people who lose their loved ones too the sea say well maybe- but not you. You know better. You know she's gone.

And yet here you are, following her voice to the shore of the sea.

"It's nothin. It's ghosts." peering into the he stormy sea, you announce to anyone who will listen (not you). "We gotta get people to shelter. Not go out."

And yet your pants are rolled up and your shoes are off. Idiot. Moron.

El?
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
But it's not that way, I wasn't born to lose you
Deimos Ignatius
the Resurrected Sword
Warden of Halo / Guildmaster

Age: 33 | Height: 6'4" | Race: Hybrid | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 14 - Strg: 72 - Dext: 72 - Endr: 73 - Luck: 80 - Int: 3
BELIAL - Mythical - Peryton (Blend) ZURIEL - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
Played by: Heather Offline
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Posts: 6,559 | Total: 10,652
MP: 9824
#3
death, you bring death and destruction to all that you touch
The honeymoon was over, the vacation snagged, caught, and ruined – the series of traumas he’d sought to recover from didn’t seem to ever go away.

For there was screaming as he prepared to leave, to go back through portals, to return to home - and he should’ve, he should’ve, but the call of screeches and howls were too eerily reminiscent of voids pulling him under –

Were they in need of help? And above all things, should he have cared? None of them seemed familiar. None of them seemed to be any more than haunting, fleeting, screaming, crying dins.

He ventured towards another, who seemed tangible, real; listening to them along the stormy sea and the brine, choking down the length of bile suddenly piercing its way through his throat. He too rolled up the length of his pants, Zuriel behind him. “What do you need?” At the ready to assist – for whatever it meant, bag of holding on his shoulders, once supplied for a restful break.

Not that it mattered anymore.

--

Deimos and Zuriel have arrived!

Deimos is bringing:

Type: Grey
Scale Ring (Upgraded) | A magical ring that when worn, can be used to cover the wearer in full armor that resists dark magic. Made by Remi.

Type: Grey
Bag of Holding | A bag that can hold an infinite number of items, so long as they fit within the bag's 3ft x 3ft opening. The bag always feels nearly weightless, but always looks about 75% full.

And ZURIEL - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
DEIMOS
Sunjata Wrenzaok
the Flood
Archon of King's End

Age: 34 | Height: 6'5 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 15 - Strg: 76 - Dext: 73 - Endr: 75 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
PETRONELLA - Mythical - Sea Panther
Played by: Skylark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 8,340 | Total: 13,495
MP: 2712
#4
// when we forget the infection, will we remember the lesson?
if the suspense doesn't kill you, something else will //
It was supposed to be a calm day, one with nothing planned other than listening to the rain, running a few errands quickly, and relaxing with Nate as the fogs roll in. But of course that doesn’t go to plan. Something about it feels off, unsure and uncertain, halfway through a trip back from reupping a few supplies for the house with Haai when he hears it. When he hears her.

It’s been a year since he’d met her, now, and while his life had changed and moved on, he’d fallen in love and due to get married, he can’t forget her. His steps take him toward the beach as well, ending up nearby Zeph though not quite realizing it. He hears her calling out, calling for him and he grits his teeth trying to scan the fog while Haai tries to corral him back.

She’s gone, he knows that much. But he hasn’t been able to speak to her since Delphia had given him that quest. One that he hadn’t completed. So he tries to plant his feet in the sands, going for the daggers, heart thundering in his chest, swallowing hard. And waiting. Waiting. Waiting.



Sunjata and Haai stand somewhere close to Zeph without knowing it. Has these on him!

Type: Dark
Trident Daggers (Upgraded) | Two daggers perfectly weighted and sculpted for Sunjata. One can shoot fire in a 5ft arc and the other electricity.

Type: Grey
hEARs | An earring that when worn, increases the sound of voices (especially whispers)
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Raza Ekambe
Owner of the Hanged Man

Age: 37 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 20 - Int:
HOA - Regular - Albino Granite Burmese Python
Played by: Astor Offline
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Posts: 466 | Total: 4,350
MP: 59
#5
raza
I literally can’t remember this kind of shit happening before.

Mist? Yes. Weird weather is normal.

Screaming? Who the fuck is torturing Mort's souls? After a moment, I actually think they might be remnants of the Monsters from the Hollowed Grounds, once I hear 'em, but then - then there’s a certain voice, and I know it can’t be the from the Grounds. Can it? Pa never went there.

It’s unsettlin’, sending a cold shiver down my spine as I grab what meager weapons I have (and what can knives do against spirits? Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing.), that silly glow rock, her cloud manta choker. The magic bag wrapped up tight - who knows, who knows, who knows?

But this is my home and I’ll be damned if I ain’t gonna defend it. I rush against the tide of milling people, down to the coast, down to the half-ruined Hanged Man. There’s a small group of recognizeable people, an’ I spot the back’a Zeph’s head. “Zeph!” I call, trotting up behind him. “I heard Pa,” I say with a dark tone, brow furrowed, a glace spared to the big man with the unicorn. “You hear…?” El?

Gods, how I wish I’d heard her instead.

--------------

Raza finds Zeph and Deimos and brings:

Type: Grey
Glowing rock | A pretty green rock. It glows.    

Type: Grey
Be-gone Bag (Upgraded) | A large sturdy canvas bag, roughly 6ft tall when closed. At Raza's mental command the bag becomes invisible and completely sound proof. Made by Remi


Age: 6 | Height: | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#6
key quest

The mist cloaks you, making it difficult to tell faces apart, but the party is close enough to discern one another even without speaking. Which is lucky, given that the Arbiter stays silent. Before you, those native to or living in Torchline will know what they are supposed to see - the waterlogged beach, the tide out currently, darkness shrouding everything in anticipation for the next storm. But all you can see is a wall of white - and other figures, too, however briefly.

They wander as if lost in their own worlds, their own memories. Two of the group - Raza and Deimos - notice them: a young couple who grip each other, meandering past as if they do not see you at all, and an older man, grizzled with tears streaming down his face. They are instantly swallowed by the fog. Do you try to go after them, to get their attention?

The other members of the party - Zephyr and Sunjata - they see nothing. Notice... nothing. Because sweetly, so sweetly, the voices that call to them grow louder, more detailed, more insistent.

For Zephyr he can hear El, far out to where he knows the water’s edge will be. She’s singing, some lullaby back from when Ray still needed them. Maybe he is out there, too?

But the cry to Sunjata is more fevered, more insistent. It sounds like a woman lost, drowning, pleading for him to come. Maea, lost in the deep.



Two of the party are overcome by the voices that call to them. Raza and Deimos keep their senses for now.

Your randomly assigned post order is as follows:

1. Zephyr
2. Sunjata
3. Raza
4. Deimos

You have 48 hours to respond after the person before you. Please include a summary at the bottom of your post.

Zephyr Kawaianu
Smuggler / Guildmaster

Age: 42 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 5 - Strg: 25 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 26 - Luck: 10 - Int:
KI - Regular - Panther Chamelon
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 680 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#7
zephyr
The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
Pretty soon you aren't the only one standing on the shore. Instead you're in an off mix of company. Raza. Arm-biter. Some big guy you don't know. You glance back at Raz as she trots up, frowning, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "El," you confirm, wincing slightly. Definitely a better voice than her fuckwad of a Pa.

Maybe that's why when the voices grow louder you find yourself drawn back to the water. "I don' like this," you mutter darkly - and yet here you are, stepping forward toward the rolling mist. You can hear the lullaby Ella used to sing to Ray, a siren song you know not to trust and yet... And yet...

And yet.

"Get t'the docks," you call absently back to Raza and whoever else, waving an arm behind you and in her general direction while taking another step. "I gotta jus'... Gotta make sure."



Zeph wanders closer towards the water.
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
But it's not that way, I wasn't born to lose you
Sunjata Wrenzaok
the Flood
Archon of King's End

Age: 34 | Height: 6'5 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 15 - Strg: 76 - Dext: 73 - Endr: 75 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
PETRONELLA - Mythical - Sea Panther
Played by: Skylark Offline
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Posts: 8,340 | Total: 13,495
MP: 2712
#8
// when we forget the infection, will we remember the lesson?
if the suspense doesn't kill you, something else will //
The worst part of this, is that he knows she's gone. But his mind flickers back to Lusea, to the woman he’d held while she died only to have her appear here — however long it was she lasted in Caido. He still says nothing, eyes out toward the water. Zeph remains, he can hear him and the others, Deimos and Raza. And then? Then he hears the sound of Maea drowning, his stomach churning — flashbacks to when he was six or seven years old, trapped in the flood waters.

And he had been drowning too.

He clenches his jaw, fingers tightening along the daggers, inching forward along the sand. “I’ll… Check for people.” He offers unhelpfully, stepping forward and hesitating again, feathers flickering along his shoulders, Haai trying her best to corral him back again.



Sunjata and Haai step closer to the water.
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Raza Ekambe
Owner of the Hanged Man

Age: 37 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 20 - Int:
HOA - Regular - Albino Granite Burmese Python
Played by: Astor Offline
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Posts: 466 | Total: 4,350
MP: 59
#9
raza
Ella. A’course. I grimace, tight-lipped an’ obviously worried. Not just because’a the white wall, but because I can see that others (however briefly) are probably hearin’ things too. Things I can’t hear. Things I can’t see. The thing is that wherever Pa’s voice is - that’s where I don’t want to be. Even if it’s a hallucination, a fever dream, a magic thing, it ain’t - I shake my head.

“Make sure’a what? I call after Zeph, ignorin’ his suggestion to get to the docks. “Ella is dead, Zeph. You know that. We sent her to sea together. Whatever this is - it ain’t ‘er.”

I grab for ‘is hand, turnin’ to the others. Sunjata seems to be headed towards the water too, so I yell for him. “Oi! Sunjata!” I’m real wary of everyone wanderin’ off by themselves. And this mist is thick as fuck, so I turn to the big guy. “If yer with us, I’m thinkin’ splittin up ain’t the best idea.” Or is it? Given the choice, I’ll choose Zeph every day, over every other Torcher. Savin’ others is great an’ all, but I don’t plan on leavin’ him.

------------------

Raza tries to keep Zeph and Jata in the group.
Deimos Ignatius
the Resurrected Sword
Warden of Halo / Guildmaster

Age: 33 | Height: 6'4" | Race: Hybrid | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 14 - Strg: 72 - Dext: 72 - Endr: 73 - Luck: 80 - Int: 3
BELIAL - Mythical - Peryton (Blend) ZURIEL - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
Played by: Heather Offline
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Posts: 6,559 | Total: 10,652
MP: 9824
#10
death, you bring death and destruction to all that you touch
An abyss where tides, where shores, should’ve been – a push, a pull, another brand of terror. It was the unknown gripping and snaring, voices calling over the brambles, thorns, and edges of something he couldn’t discern. Perhaps that was the dread and consternation flickering through his chest, the wall of apprehension crashing through his lungs.

He could echo the strangers’ sentiments, because he didn’t like it either. Getting to the docks, in this haze, would’ve been difficult at best. And he didn’t particularly care for the notions of them all wandering about – splitting the party – wandering closer and closer to something they couldn’t really fathom. At least the woman seemed to have the same idea.

The images before him: a couple, a man (torn into tears), were devoured by the void too, and the urge to stand stock still, but also run, carved its way into his veins. Zuriel could give no other hint either, save for her own confusion, bewilderment, and nerves.

On a whim, he conjured the air magic in his veins, striving, trying, desperately to parse the fog away, to let the world and visions truly unfold – so they could see what was going on.

--

Deimos attempts to use his Mastered Air Magic to get rid of the fog.

Air manipulation: Can create and control the air. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
DEIMOS


Age: 6 | Height: | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#11
key quest

Maybe it’s the way the mist suddenly parts before them, but something clears @sunjata’s mind of any cries for help for the time being. A good thing, too, because even though the tide is meant to be out, his feet are already wet with the waves lapping against them.

He’ll be the one to see the bodies first. The young couple, the older man? Without anyone to call after them, to try and draw them back into the safety of the docks, they are little more than blood in the water, than shreds of clothes and flesh. Whatever got them has taken quite sizeable bites out of them... and you have interrupted its meal.

Bad luck continuing, it’s also Sunjata who draws the thing’s ire. The mist floods back in, swamping their vision, just as something slams into the Attuned, lifting him clear from his feet and tossing him across the sand by several metres. He’ll find his entire right side bruised from the blow, and there’s definitely an impression that a couple of ribs have been cracked, too.

Whatever’s out there - it’s big. And it knows you’re here.

But the rest of the party? Nah, you’ve got other things to worry about. For Zephyr the lullaby grows more intense, trying to lure him out into the misty water. A child’s voice joins it, punctuated by laughter - and damn, but is there splashing up ahead in the shallows as well? They’re close enough to touch.

And Raza - so level-headed at first - now, all of a sudden, the gruff sound of a voice feels like it’s pressing right against the shell of her ear, close enough to smell the whiskey. I can’t breathe, it rasps. You bitch, I can’t breathe.


As for Deimos? Suddenly it’s all around him - a pounding against a door, hurried and terrified and oh gods, it’s happening again. Rexanna is screaming all over again.



Nobody attempted to call after the civilians wandering through the mist, and they have been killed and eaten.

Sunjata manages to regain his senses enough to ignore the ghostly calls from the sea! His reward is to be yeeted across the beach. Everyone else, though? Enjoy your memories.

Your randomly assigned post order is as follows:

1. Zephyr 60/60
2. Sunjata 200/240
3. Raza 54/54
4. Deimos 370/370

You have 48 hours to respond after the person before you. Please include a summary at the bottom of your post.

Zephyr Kawaianu
Smuggler / Guildmaster

Age: 42 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 5 - Strg: 25 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 26 - Luck: 10 - Int:
KI - Regular - Panther Chamelon
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 680 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#12
zephyr
The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
Well you're not dead yet so it could be worse.

The cold water on your toes is a good wake-up call. So, too, are the half-eaten bodies lying in the surf, their wounds worse than anything a shark could land. Fuck. And atop it all is the sound of Ella, serenading you like some deranged siren, her music punctuated by the one thing sure to pierce your heart.

His laugh.

Also the one thing sure to keep you from going forward. Because seeing El you could survive, but seeing Ray? Again, and close enough to touch? Nope. No, you're level-headed and self-aware to know that this is a bad bad plan, because your son is dead and your wife is too and you have a warm bed and a hot woman waiting for you so maybe not the time to join them.

He's just a memory. Nothing more.

"We need t'get back," you grind out through clenched teeth, tearing your eyes away from where El and Ray definitely aren't splashing right out of reach. "Raz, ya hear? We need t'get back. Hey!" Raising your voice to whoever can hear, you attempt to grab Raza's arm and pull her with you. "GET AWAY FROM THE WATER!"



Zeph is still hallucinating but grabs Raza and tries to drag her away from the water, telling everyone else to retreat as well
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
But it's not that way, I wasn't born to lose you
Sunjata Wrenzaok
the Flood
Archon of King's End

Age: 34 | Height: 6'5 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 15 - Strg: 76 - Dext: 73 - Endr: 75 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
PETRONELLA - Mythical - Sea Panther
Played by: Skylark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 8,340 | Total: 13,495
MP: 2712
#13
// when we forget the infection, will we remember the lesson?
if the suspense doesn't kill you, something else will //
The cloud is lifted, figuratively and in real life as he realizes what’s happening. His feet are wet, the water soaking up his pant legs, confusion dawning on him suddenly as Haai moves to bolt backwards. He can see the half eaten bodies before him, jaw clenching as he realizes that this isn’t just a normal fog.

They need to fucking go.

He half turns toward where he thinks Deimos is standing as the fog rolls back in when it hits him. All the air slips from his lungs, and he’s flying through the air a bit too late to try and shift and catch himself on the winds. “Fucking hell.” He hisses as the sand greets him, ribs cracking with the impact. So he tries to rise from the sand, using the daggers as a point of holding him steady to stagger to his feet. And he tries to head to where he can hear Zeph and the rest of them heading away from the beach, Haai at his side to try and help him up.

Haai turns back to the beach, trying to push others back away from the beach — taking a shot in the dark fog, and aims to send her fire breath into the fog, hopefully at the creature.



Sunjata tries to get away from the beach, back toward Zeph, Raza, and Deimos while Haai tries to corral civilians away and fire breaths at the fog!

HAAI - Mythical - Griffin (Fire breath)
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Raza Ekambe
Owner of the Hanged Man

Age: 37 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 20 - Int:
HOA - Regular - Albino Granite Burmese Python
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 466 | Total: 4,350
MP: 59
#14
raza
I was so focused on gettin’ away, so ready to pull the two idiots back from the water when that horrid whisper finds its way into my head again. I freeze, because I guess old habits die real fuckin’ hard, half expecting a bamboo cane to come whistlin’ my way even though it’s been what - thirteen? - years since Pa disappeared.

Whipping around, I have to find it, I have to know who knows.
Cause no one knows. No one.
Just me.
Just me. (Are you sure about that, Raz?)
Just me ‘n Pa.

But he never woke up, did he? So it was okay, wasn’t it? Better ‘n the slow drunks death, better ‘n drownin’ one night, better n’ slipping and hittin’ his head on rocks, or - Gods, I can’t. Not down that rabbit hole again. “An' I’d do it again,” I hiss back into the whiteness, defiant in all the ways teenage me never was. Jerking away from the sound of the voice, I stumble to the right, towards Zeph, reaching for him cause I at least can register that he’s screamin’ about somethin.

-------------------

Raza doubles down against the voice and tires to yank herself away, reaching for Zeph.


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