Fantasy The Alchemists of Asteria {Main}

[LiviathRose]

[class=container] width:80%; height:100vh; margin:auto;center; display:flex; flex-wrap:row-wrap; background-color: #770909; background-image:url(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b6/c1/59/b6c1590444929140e1ac358fae775fc3.jpg); background-size: 1500px 1000px; overflow:hidden; [/class] [class=textscroll] width:105%; height:100vh; overflow-y:scroll; [/class] [class=textbox] width:90%; padding:0.8em; font-familypen Sans; font-size:1em; color:#fff; text-align:justify; opacity:0.8; [/class] [div class=container][div class=contentwrap][div class=contentbox][div class=textscroll] [div class=textbox] ~ᏗᏕᏖᏋᏒᎥᏗ ~ ᏋᏉᏋᏁᎥᏁᎶ ~ 5ᎮᎷ-10ᎮᎷ ~
Chapter One: Rumors in the Night

On the quiet night of Asteria, the stars shine brightly in the growing night sky as if a wave of mysterious magic was going to clash with the dying sun. With the growing night, a calm breeze swept in as the occasional leaf could be heard turning in its home of the branches. There was nothing particularly odd about this night in Asteria, no local mishaps from a learning alchemist or wizard, no gigantic beast attacking the nearby village; it was peaceful as it has always been. (1) In a nearby home, near the Councilor's Hall centered in Asteria, a family remains at unease as the night crawls in.
"Papa? When is mommy coming home? I thought you said you saw mommy?" A young girl asked her troubled, paranoid father who seemed to have gone slightly hysteric.
"Of course dear! I saw mommy, I did! You believe your papa, don't you?" The man would ask the young girl as he grasped her shoulders in a cold sweat.
The young girl was scared of her father but put on a strong face and nodded trying her best to reassure her father. However, the young girl knew something was wrong with her father and when her father turned his back on her to speak to himself on what he saw the night before, the young girl darted out the front door in tears. The wooden door slammed shut as she headed out into the streets of Asteria. The young girl headed out to the square in tears as she would shyly avoid people waiting for her favorite show to begin, Marionette's Menagerie ( Lekiel ). She sat patiently where the performance usually began with her long blonde curls hiding her tears, as she would occasionally rub her eyes.

On the other side of town, not too terribly far from the square, sat Magia Librium. There sat Imogene( LiviathRose ) on its rooftop as she would watch the night sky make its approach. Her silver stranded hair and porcelain legs would drape off the roof lifelessly as the shop was about to close soon. She was tired from the long day and Titiana encouraged her to get some air as the rest of them cleaned up, though Imogene was appreciative of the gesture, she still did not care much for her. Titana was like that grown-up you had to babysit because they made too many poor choices in life, but perhaps that was being a little mean. She wasn't aware if Titiana actually made any poor choices, she was nice but probably could use a little guidance. Imogene let out a sigh as she relaxed just for a little while longer wondering what tomorrow would bring, if for once it would be any different.
Making her approach, Viktoria ( LiviathRose ) stepped up to Magia Librium as she looked up at the dangling strands of hair and legs hanging from the rooftop. Her arms were full of scrolls and other papers, as she set them down she cleared her throat as if to make her presence known.
"Yes, Viktoria?" Imogene could be heard but not seen as she made no effort to look over.
"I brought my weekly supplies of my famous recipes for your shop, can you please be a dear and come get them off my hands?" Viktoria would say theatrically. But Imogene made no additional effort to amuse Viktoria.
"Titiana is in the shop finishing cleaning up, you can hand it off to her and we'll deal with it later before we open tomorrow." She would say.
Viktoria huffed as she entered the store but made no further comment as she was starting to wonder if something was wrong with Imogene, usually she would grab them happily and run off like a thief in the night. Titiana greeted Viktoria with a smile, and she smiled back at her as she handed her the supplies. Little was said between them and before long, Viktoria was heading out the door. She said "Good Night." before heading around the corner of the shop heading towards the square.

The street lights of Asteria Square kept it well lit as Viktoria walked around with her hands cuffed in front of her dress. Her blond, curly pigtails would bounce with each step as she drew close to the centerpiece of the square, a magical fountain with geodes floating around it. She wasn't sure what the purpose of the beautiful geodes were, they reminded her of the gems she carried on her with the various of different colors. With a smile she would walk around for the night offering herself to the questioning alchemist, as she held herself high for her skills. She was a councilor after all. Or she wouldn't even mind the casual conversation of another on this wonderful night. She let out a relaxed sigh as she stood near the fountain admiring it's beauty. [/div] [/div][/div] [div class=largepicture][/div]

[/div] [/div]

 

[Lekiel]

"Welcome to the Greaterestest Puppet Show in aaaalll... Asteria!!" A young brunette was announcing in a surprisingly sonorious alto voice that belied her petite frame. She stretched her hands out wide in an expansive welcoming gesture, beaming and smiling at the modest crowd of mostly grubby dressed children. An overly large, patched and faded witch's hat wobbled unsteadily on her bobbing head, threatening to either fall off of flat out cover its owner's face.

"Come on! Come quick, tell your friends! Hurry!!!" She cupped her hands and called out to the street urchins and the occasional family passing by on that late evening. "Nobody would want to miss today's all original story!! The Tale of the Haunting Meadow Boat!" Beckoning with her hands energetically, the motion causing her hat to tip over. "Whoops-!" Kindle Bandlebrook quickly reached up to steady the blasted piece of patched fabric, though her eyes brightened when she began to see more familiar faces. A young girl whom had almost never failed to turn up at her show was hurrying over to catch the show.

"Hey Buttercup!" Kindle called her brightly, using a name she used for almost every other young girl that dropped by. It was obviously nothing to do with her being bad at remembering names mind you. The young girl paused with a slightly shocked breath, startled that the great and mighty Kindle Bandlebrook, Master Puppeteer, Queen of Marionettes, Supreme Woodcrafter, First Sweeper of Sawdust and best of alltotally, the owner of Marionette's Menagerie had just called out to her. Her cheeks were pink, eyes raw from rubbing her tears away. It hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Here, hafa' Popperange!" Kindle turned to a pile of crates, where a marionette sat. All of a sudden, it staggered to life, to an audible gasp of those nearby. The foot-tall puppet tottered into one of the half-opened boxes and reached in, producing a brilliant blue cherry-sized fruit. Leaping off the crate with a summersault, it held up the popperange by the stem for the little one to take.

"Kips there sniffles away! Watch out for the last bite Buttercup! It'll pop!" The girl nodded emphatically, a small smile finally brightening her face as she gaped open-mouthed for a moment a little starstruck before scurrying to sit on one of the recycled crates. Kindle watched the girl a moment longer, an inaudible sigh escaping her lips as she stood with hands akimbo. Cerulean irises scanned the crowd of children and occasional adult for another familiar face, a certain redhead with pigtails and freckles as numerous as the star-filled sky. Buttercup nine, absent again. Visions of a missing persons' flyer she'd seen sometime back flitted through her mind. She pushed the worry aside, the somber expression on her face dissolving almost as soon as she appeared. With a swish of tawny hair, she marched back to her show.

"ALEXIUS! DID YOU GET YOU GET MORE CRATES FOR SEATS AS I TOLD YOU!? TILLY, POPPY, GAD! HAVE YOU GUYS REHERSED YOUR LINES!? I SWEAR IF YOU CAN'T TELL YOUR JOKE WITHOUT LAUFIN YOUR BUTT OFF AGAIN I'LL-..."

유 유 유​

Marionette's Menagerie was often closed at the first peek of the silvery moon. Though it'd reopen elsewhere, in one of the lesser side lanes leading off the main square of the local area. But instead of touting exquisitely crafted toys, those same toys would come to live in a mesmerizing display of animated retoldoriginal tales. Kindle had been doing this for years, though her equipment and the ramshackle puppet stage and pop-up theatre outfittings were the furthest from being presentable. As such, many of her audience were street urchins. Young uns, abandoned and left to their own devices. She'd occasionally get a few of them to help out with the plays, giving them food or a little coin or two for their efforts.

When she'd first begun, at first she thought she found joy from merely being able to enrapture a captive audience with her magical puppets. But as the plays went on, the young brunette soon found herself driven by the thought that she could at least give these children some semblance of childhood and innocent fun. Whimsies which she knew she had experienced, but could never remember herself. The smiles on those little faces warmed her heart better than any steaming mug of cocoberry... almost.

Kindle sat on an upturned pile of formerly orange fruit crates, chin resting on one hand while she flexed her tired fingers after another night of playing the marionettist. The little boy who saw the ghostly ship sailing across the field of wheat had finally faced his fears and ran out into the breezy night. Finding out that the ship belonged to his great grandfather, who'd been a famous pirate who could not cross to the other side and find rest due to his transgressions. His buried treasure lay in an underground maze somewhere in that meadow. Guarded by undead foe. The little boy convinced the pirate to retrieve the treasure so it could be donated to the local orphanage; and so together, the two of them braved the dangers and came out victorious.

A pretty ordinary and predictable story.

The halfling hummed to herself, wondering where her muse had been as of late. But even then, from the excited faces of the children who were still staying behind, apparently it didn't take much to impress them.

Ah the joys of childish innocence!.

 

[Iamthemanfish]

The rhythmic tapping of wood on stone from the mouth of the alley heralded the arrival of a figure only a few inches taller than the owner of the Menagerie, and swathed in a cowled robe that seemed a few sizes to big for his small frame. The figure paused suddenly about twenty feet away from the ramshackle stage the staff he was pretending to use to guide himself frozen midway between clicks, "Oh bother" said Truth his voice an unnerving mix of youthful tenor and scratchy baritone. The hood of the robe twitched to face in the direction of the stages owner followed by the rest of the small figure. The staff in his right hand began it's rhythmic clacking again as he made his way around the outside of the small group of children in the middle of the alley way toward the owner of Menagerie.


He paused again only a few feet away from her "Excuse me Ms Bandelbrook, but did I miss the show again?" he said with a slight bow of his cowled head, the moment the question left his mouth Truth knew he had and his shoulder's sagged visibly underneath his robes followed by a great sigh of true disappointment. He flipped the cowl off his head in frustration revealing a soot smeared young face half hidden by a strip of pure white cloth wrapped over his "eyes" and topped by a messy, sweat streaked, shock of deep rust colored hair, he had clearly come strait there from work without so much as washing up first. "Honestly" he fumed letting go of his staff to pace around the box Kindle was sitting on, the heavily enchanted tool stayed standing strait up where he left it, "I don't understand why the council insisted I wear this silly disguise, I mean I don't like being followed around by a mob of ido...people with the misguided belief that MY people are decedents of your gods anymore than anyone else does" he huffed as a faint glow began to appear seemingly from within him "I don't have a single clue where they might have gotten such a ridiculous notion from anywa..." Truth froze in place and the glow from within him dimmed until was barely noticeable again. He cleared his throat a little bit of red coloring his cheeks, "I apologize where are my manners" he said while ruffling through the pockets in his robe.

While Truth searched his pockets he spoke again not able to contain himself "I'm not sure if you've noticed or not but I make a habit of attending your Menagerie at least once a week, I very much enjoy listening to the stories and the magic you imbue into the dolls is very pretty, oh here it is" he exclaimed pulling a small stone from his pocket. He held the stone close to his mouth and whispered the proper mnemonic to activate the Thurisaz Rune engraved on the hockster stone, there was a metallic clinking sound as a bag of coins roughly the size of a large apple fell into Truth's left palm. He quickly placed the stone back in his pocket and turned to Kindel, "Ms Bandelbrook I very much like your show's, but I respect what your doing for these children. As such I'd like to make a small donation to the Marionette's Menagerie on my own behalf" he said with a smile "and that's the Truth".
Lekiel

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Elatha sat on a stool outside the local tavern just on one side of fountain. In front of her was stand with her most recent canvas also a mug of her favourite ale on another stool next to her. The fountain at this current time was an artist dream, beautiful due to the various mix of subtle colours and the unique effect brought on by the light of many lanterns. The mix of black and dark blue of the sky dotted with the white of the clouds. The flow of water from the fountain which seemed to sparkle due the chaotic movement of the fire in the lanterns reacting to the wind. Not to mention the range of human life on the scene, whether it was the children kept at away by the magical Marionette show near by or a certain councillor in her finery admiring the fountain.

Indeed a beautiful scene, Elatha enjoyed painting and a good test for her pigments and paints on the ability to help her capture the scene. After a long day of tending to the poor and sick in the seedier sides of town it should be a relief to see the beauty of the place as well. Even a priestess dedication to help others had to find time for herself after all. One can not help others if oneself is not at her mental and physical best. She had to learn that lesson a few times in her life and now always took them when she could and she never knew when she would be approached for her urgent help.

After painting a little she sat aside her brush and took her mug of ale, taking a long deep sip before sighing. Despite the calm and idyllic setting she was in she could not relax. She felt tense like expecting something to go wrong at any moment and she needed to spring into action. It was not the first time she had a feeling of foreboding like this and it was usually right. She was not sure this was instinct born of experience or Orah giving her warning but she learned to trust this feeling. However the feeling was useless to her now as she had no idea where it came from of what to do about it making it frustrating.

 

[WoolooQueen]

It was a quiet night in Asteria Apothecary. Ellory, who had just bid farewell to her last customer, padded across the shop floor towards the front door. Letting out a sigh, she flipped the sign on the window, marking the end of another day. Today had been her busiest day this week, and she was more than happy to see the day come to an end. She leaned against the window frame and stared out towards the town square, watching as people dashed about. As Ellory watched the hustle and bustle of nightlife, she noticed a young girl quickly walking by the shop, tears streaming down her face. A look of worry crept across her face as she watched the girl continue on her way, heading towards a small side street on the opposite side of the square. Now that she thought about it, it was around the time when Marionette's Menagerie would host a puppet show for the children of Asteria. Elle sighed again, pushing herself off the window and heading to the stairs at the back of the shop. She smiled to herself, thinking back to a puppet show she had attended with her grandmother years before.

"Grandma," A young, brunette girl called out, "where are we going?" Ellory stared up at the older woman, holding onto her hand. Her grandmother chuckled, smiling down at the young girl. "Patience, my dear. You'll see when we get there." Ellory huffed, pouting as she continued walking forward, making her grandmother laugh even more. A few minutes of content silence passed before the woman stopped and spoke again. "Look, Ellie, we're here!" The young girl turned, her eyes lighting up at the sight in front of her. Standing in front of her was a large building with a sign that read "Puppet Show! Every Night at 7!" Ellory smiled widely, beaming at her grandmother. "A puppet show! Hurry grandma, we don't want to miss it!" She dragged the gray-haired lady into the theatre, quickly finding seats in the front. They sat down, the stage lights turning on as the show began. Elle watched in amazement as the puppets danced across the stage, telling a magnificent tale of a princess and a dragon. Her grandmother couldn't help but smile at the young girl's excitement. As they walked out of the theatre an hour later, Ellory latched onto her grandmother in a hug. "Thank you, Grandma, that was the best day of my life! I love you sooo much!" The older woman laughed, holding the girl tightly and patting her head. "I love you, too, my sweet Ellie."

Ellory smiled to herself at the memory, entering the quaint apartment above her shop. She shut the door behind her, gazing at the dimly lit space before turning on the lantern. Glancing down at her watch, she idly ran a finger over the locket settled around her neck. "Perhaps I could still make it to the show in time," She thought aloud, grabbing a shawl off her coathanger and slipping it over her shoulders. Turning to the altar in the corner of the room, she quickly said a prayer to Enki, thanking him for the many customers she was able to help today. Peering over to the cat nestled on the couch, she grabbed her keys and opened the door. "I'll be going out, Cashmere," She called out to the fluffy creature as she stepped out. "So please don't make a mess of things while I'm gone." She hurried down the stairs and out the back door of the shop, quickly locking the door behind her.

As she made her way past the fountain in the town square, she noticed a red-haired woman sitting outside the tavern painting. Ellory quickly recognized the woman as Elatha, a traveling priestess who she had worked with on occasion to heal others. Noticing Elatha staring towards the fountain, she turned in that direction and saw an alchemist's councilor standing near the fountain, watching the water with a relaxed expression. Carrying on towards the puppet show, Ellory noticed a group of children walking towards her, smiling and laughing. "I must have missed it." She thought disappointedly. Not wanting to go home just yet, Elle decided to continue walking, taking advantage of the beautiful night scenery. Perhaps she would meet someone interesting on her excursion, or maybe even make a friend. Whatever the night had to offer her, Ellory would accept it with open arms.

interactions: none
mentions: LiviathRose ThatGuyWithSouvlaki
open for interactions​

 

[NighttimeForest]

A gentle breeze pushed the flowers to and fro as a careful eye was watching their movement. A hand that could easily be mistaken for a tree was firmly on the dirt below the flower that shone brightly in the dim light. Slowly the hand moved back as Gaia was done with his work. Tending to the garden took up most of his day, though he didn't need to watch over the plants as much as he did. Regardless he spent most of his time in his garden. The small stone walls that stood around the garden as if it was a town of it's own. The plants, each carefully placed for what they needed which seemed to make a small pattern for the flower beds that one would need to weave around to get anywhere least they trample through it. One large tree that shaded a part of the garden that moves as if it was waving to anyone who came in. Carefully Gaia stood up as their eyes scanned around the garden for anything that would need their attention. Silence greeted him as he confirmed that it was all well and good.

Having no reason to stay he leisurely walked around the winding path that lead to the back door of his house. Walking into the small building and shutting the door behind him he wasn't sure what to do. Standing like a statue until he finally had an idea. Moving through his small home and out the front door, while making sure to shut the door behind him, Gaia went out to the street. Many plants often liked to grow in between the cracks of the street and it was a nice past time to see which ones were keeping up with their needs to grow. There were many plants that Gaia was very familiar to outside of his garden. Often times he'd enjoy their company though it usually looked like he was simple standing for no reason. He only talked to those in his garden as he didn't want to accidentally make confusion for others that would pass by. He did not think many would question if he did talk as he wasn't the most socially active member of the city.

Even so he was not one to try and be rude. That doesn't mean he hasn't done things that could be considered rude in the past. The empty feeling came as he continued his walk to get rid of the thought. He noticed that someone was walking his way. It was not unusual to see people out and about at this time. Sometimes shows are put on out in the streets, though Gaia has not gone to these as he often spends too much time in his garden to realize the time. Ellory Quinn, he knows them mostly from seeing their shop from time to time. He often tries to keep tabs of any alchemists who stay in the city. Them and farmers. They are more than likely a client at one point or another, whether because of their plants needed help, wanting to cut back on time for a plant, or because they need an ingredient that he has. "Quinn," greeting the other in a more rather formal way. He always had the habit of calling people by their last names. He simple did not want to call people by their first names unless it seemed earned. What counted as earned was anyone's guess.

"Are you in need of something?" the look of the alchemist seemed to say 'I'm going somewhere'. Of course he could be distracting her from where ever she needed to go. However if she needed anything they could help with in their time off then they would not have to wander much. Having free time often left him not knowing what to do. He was lucky that his magic can be used in many ways since some people keep potted plants that they enjoy around the house which he can help tend to. Along with the fact that alchemists often need plants while farmer may need help with crops makes it so he can try to find something to do just about anywhere.

Interacted: WoolooQueen​

 

[darkborn]

Varen simply couldn't help himself. He was irritated, distracted. He needed a distraction; the puppet show, although slightly creepy in its concept, was actually well played. Of course, that begs the question, "Why is he at a puppet show?" After all, isn't he supposed to be looking for signs of missing people? Isn't he supposed to be searching for the Missings, instead of watching some child's amusement? Well, it was a long story....

Varen first began his quest after finding a board with pictures of the missing. That set off alarm bells in his head. Missing people, disappeared without a trace.... it sounded like the work of a certain inquisitor he knew of. Or... No. Don't think of that name. That name still brought up awful feelings of hate, even after all these years. That name was still reviled. Still hated. And yet... Varen couldn't help but admit, it also brought hope. For if that unspeakable was still alive.... so was a chance of her being alive.

And he had a promise to keep.

Varen shook his head, dispelling his musings, and returned to the flashback at hand. How did he get to a marionette show? Simple. Pure frustration. He had spent a couple of weeks following leads, tracing it down to their burrows, only to turn up dead ends almost every time. Every theory he had formed so far that was plausible had been snuffed out, and now Varen was forced to grope blindly in the dark for answers. As such, he decided a distraction was needed. And so, the puppet show.

To be honest, he wasn't paying much attention to the actors as he was the people in the audience. There were so many interesting people. However, three caught his attention, but only after the show ended: One, a redhead blind man; his appearance struck familiar chords in Varen's head, though he couldn't remember why that should be so. However, he was interesting in that he radiated... something. Was it the aftereffects of something? Varen couldn't place bets on anything; he only knew the man had done something magical, and the signature was...distorted? natural? Perhaps that was it. A natural ability, gifted to him from birth. Not an unheard of thing; however, it warranted interest, and a puzzle, and Varen had a love-hate relationship with puzzles.

Another that caught his attention was a priestess. A priestess of Orah. Varen could recognize that because- well, wasn't it obvious? Her red hair flowing in the slight breeze, she was painting. A bit strange, for a priestess to be painting, but what could Varen say about himself? He was a rather strange individual himself. Perhaps he should go introduce himself; it was always a nice thing when he met another clergy of the faith. Excellent theological discussions. He turned and began walking towards the tavern the priestess was sitting next to. However, right when he was halfway there, he finally remembered why the blind man was so familiar.

Bismillah! It's Truth! Isn't he a famous enchanter!? Now, torn between two interesting conversations, Varen stood on the streets, eyes darting between the priestess and Truth. So engrossed in this dilemma he was that he failed to notice the black haired girl walking almost perpendicular to him. She was the closest person around; and with a start, Varen realized his face was showing his confusion in all his glory. He hastily attempted to bring his face under control, with a moderate amount of success. Now, if only the mental battle raging in his head would have success as well....

Iamthemanfish , ThatGuyWithSouvlaki , WoolooQueen

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Elatha set side her brush with some frustration, irritated by the feeling of foreboding which prevented her from painting. She sighed. "You could be more clear in warning, you know?" She muttered to her god and hearing there was no reply, took her ale and downed most of the contents. She covered the painting with the blanket, at least most of the basic details of the painting was on the canvas the rest could be added by memory later. She wondered whether she would sell this one or donate it somewhere. She checked her coin purse, there was maybe enough there for another three meals. She could stretch it out to last her a couple of weeks. Good thing about being a priestess is free handouts from grateful converts and true believers, and she knew where to find them.

She signed again and stretched a little, she would decide later. Right now she was sitting down to long, she needed a little exercise. She stood and stretched again and at the same time looked around. She noted one of her own, Varen she figured his name was. He remembered she worked with him at one point, a good knowledgable man if a little bit of a ditz. "Varen!" She decided to call out to him waiving him over when it seemed he looked confused. "Over here, handsome!"
darkborn

 

[Alteras]

[div class=SelFlex] [div class=SelImage][div class=SelImageInside][/div] [div class=SelTitle]Selene Merseyles[/div] [div class=SelMentions] Character Sheet
Location:
Asteria Square

Interactions:
LiviathRose (Viktoria) [/div][/div] [div class=SelContent]Hmmm... Looks like it has ended. Selene thought to herself as she made her way down the streets toward the Square. Judging from the flow of people, mostly children, leaving and heading off into less well lit alleyways, it seems even the charity show had ended as well. But that was fine for Selene, she had already seen it a few times, and she can see it again another night. In any case, she carried forth with her original task, or perhaps with what could still be done with her original task. She had spent the day buying up ingredients from the marketplace, as well as from travelers and adventurers.

The recent disappearances have slowly muddled Selene's will and mental strength that she decided to do some good ole potion/paint brewing to clear her mind. Of course, with most of her paints going towards aiding the search, by means of realistic missing posters, paints have been lacking in her studio. She had already finished buying up the necessary ingredients and has dropped them off in her studio. While she is outside enjoying a stroll, the ingredients are all sitting inside cauldrons, being slowly brewed into suitable paints. Although she could be watching the fire and speeding up the process, she knew that this set of paints was best done slowly. And with her carefree nature, she had propped up an animated painting and told the witch in the painting to watch the fire, not that there was any danger of the fire being set loose.

Back to her journey through the streets of Asteria, her goal this time is to find any last minute deals and ingredients she could snatch up. She had already made her rounds through the adventurer-filled areas, picking up any final items that didn't already find an owner, and now she was doing a lap through the more established stores for items. Sadly, she had yet to find anything worth opening her purse for. On the other hand, she spotted the Council Leader, Viktoria DeVincenzo, walking through the streets as well.

She walked up towards Viktoria and with a wave, said with a sweet voice, "Hello, Viktoria! How are you this evening?" Selene remembered the first time she met the leader. Although it was a slightly offputting meeting, it was one the helped her to pick up alchemy. "Thank you for your advice last time. The Threshcone worked wonderfully as a substitute and helped me complete that peaceful painting." [/div][/div] [class=SelFlex] width: 100%; max-width: 1000px; margin: 0 auto; justify-content: center; align-items: stretch; display: flex; flex-flow: row wrap; box-sizing: border-box; [/class] [class=SelImage] position: relative; width: 300px; max-width: 100%; min-height: 300px; max-height: 700px; background: #e6e1d8 url(https://i.imgur.com/ROvSFjm.jpg); background-blend-mode: multiply; margin: 5px; [/class] [class=SelImageInside] position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; background-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/i8w6Dal.png?1'); background-size: 175%; background-position: 70% 3%; background-repeat: no-repeat; [/class] [class=SelTitle] position: absolute; bottom: 10px; left: 10px; right: 10px; height: auto; width: auto; padding: 5px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; text-align: center; font-size: 32px; font-family: 'Cormorant Upright'; color: #a52b4e; background-color: rgba(200,200,200,0.7); [/class] [class=SelMentions] position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top:0; padding: 5px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Philosopher'; color: #e5e5dd; opacity: 0; background-color: rgba( 0,0,0,0.65); transition: opacity .5s; [/class] [class name=SelMentions state=hover] opacity: 1; [/class] [class=SelContent] position: relative; min-width: 200px; flex: 1; height: auto; padding: 0px 15px; margin: 5px; [/class]

 

[Libero]

[class=name] font-size: 36px; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 4px; color: #a1ff8e; opacity: 0.7; width: 280px; margin:auto; margin-left:-10px; margin-top:-20px; text-shadow: 2px 0 0 #7c9d80; [/class] [class name=picbox] margin:auto; margin-top:20px; background: #e6c3a7 url('https://i.imgur.com/CE4ehrb.png') no-repeat center center; background-size:200px; width: 200px; height: 200px; border-radius: 250px; border: 3px solid #e6c3a7; transition-duration: 1s; [/class] [class name=picbox state=hover] border-radius:20px; [/class] [class=locbox] transition-delay:.2s; background: grey; Height: 180px; text-align:center; Width: 180px; border: 1px solid black; margin-top:40px; margin:auto; padding-top:10px; color: Ivory; transition-duration: 1s; opacity:0; font-family: 'Roboto Sans', Arial; letter-spacing:1.2px; border-radius:20px; [/class] [class name=locbox state=hover] opacity:0.8; [/class] [class=hidescrollcontent] background: grey url('https://i1.wp.com/nappyplum.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/pastel-yellow-color-wallpaper-3.gif') repeat; margin-top: -30px; height:400px; width:250px; Font-size:11px; overflow-x:hidden; margin:auto; padding: 25px; border-radius:20px; border-left: 3px solid #e6c3a7; border-bottom: 3px solid #e6c3a7; border-top: 3px solid #7c9d80; border-right: 3px solid #7c9d80; [/class] [class=contentbox] height:385px; width:257px; padding: 5px; color:#9e8b66; text-align:justify; font-family: 'Roboto Sans', Arial; Font-size:11px; overflow-y:scroll; text-align:justify; [/class]
[div class=picbox][div class=locbox]Location:
Asteria Square
Interaction:
Gaia, Ellory
Tags: NighttimeForest , WoolooQueen [/div][div class=name]ELTA ADELAIDE[/div]

[/div]
[div class=hidescrollcontent][div class=contentbox]The night sky was clear of clouds as if it was showing off the stars to the citizens of Asteria. In a small house located near the center of Asteria was a musician named Elta. He was by his workbench tinkering with his cello that needed repairs. The strings were coming loose and Elta needed to replace them before being able to perform out in the streets again. Replacing cello strings was not an easy job and after 4 hours of hard work, Elta was finished. By the time he was done, his fingers were covered in calluses and it was already dark out. Letting out a long stretch and yawn, Elta decided that he'd take a walk outside to enjoy the fresh air.

The gentle breeze of cold air felt great to the skin. Elta was slowly skipping his way around the heart of Asteria while humming a musical tune from one of his favorite songs. He was greeted by the sight of little kids walking with their parents. Among the crowd, a particular young girl rubbing her eyes caught his attention. Not knowing if he saw her properly, Elta himself rubbed his own eyes but by the time he opened them, the little girl was already lost in the crowd. "I'm so tired my eyes are messing with me", Elta thought to himself. It wasn't too long after when he noticed Asteria's famous roadside puppet show, Marionette's Menagerie. However, it seems as Elta was too late. "If only I could play my cello as the background music, it'd be an honor", Elta quietly said to himself while letting out a small sigh. He always wanted to play for her show at least once but never got the chance to properly ask. Elta knew for sure one day it'll happen.

Moving along, Elta decided to continue walking around until he spotted Ellory, an alchemist that he had spoken to once and Gaia, a fellow wizard that he'd often see tending to the garden. The two of them seemed to be talking and Elta wanted to join in.

Elta ran up to the alchemist and wizard and stopped in front of them with a friendly smile and wave. "Hey, hey! Did you two miss out on the puppet show as well?", asked Elta with his hands together. Realizing that there was the possibility of him interrupting them, Elta quickly said "Ah, I'm not interrupting anything am I?" with a playful smile.
[/div][/div]

Coded by Woebegone​

 

[Unwavering Knight]

For the Lady.

"A damsel calls. I answer." A plated behemoth exclaimed with utmost certainty, muscles clicking into place beneath his armor, breath rising, heartbeat increasing. The very picture of a true and utter knight, fitting to be imagined in front of an army of righteous fellows in defiance of an incoming darkness-

-only slightly lessened by the fact that the 'incoming darkness' was an ordinary tree, the 'damsel' a scared kitten stuck on one of said tree's branches and the 'righteous fellows' said feline's worried owner, a girl no older than ten, to be precise. Little did that do to slighten the hulking knight's vigour as he charged the tree with staggering step. Heroically, enervated fingers grabbed hold of the bark and started lifting the hulking frame up the greenery, slowly but steadily, with only a very few dozen failed attempts. Finally, he retrieved the cat with care befitting a righteous hero rescuing the frightened damsel from the very jaws of danger.

Unfortunately, the twig formerly capable of holding the kitten's weight showed itself to be quite incapable of holding the burden of a fully armored and tall-grown knight.

Crashing down in a shower of foliage, the knight's back came to a thundering impact upon the earth. The cat's owner gave a worried cry as she hastily ran towards the downed hero. The knight, not bothering to rise from his prone position, simply raised his hand. He held high the unblemished kitten, to be accepted with tears and incessant thanks by the girl who herself appeared to have gotten caught up in the passion for the pseudo-tale.

He saw the child off with something akin to a friendly wave, the drowsiness of his arm twisting what should have been a lighthearted gesture. The girl, wide-eyed and kitten clutched to her chest, gave a thankful nod nonetheless and took off, the knight's helmed gaze following her till she rounded a corner. Taking a moment to gather his wits, he soon stood up and dusted himself off. The knight resumed his march around town, searching for more goodness to be done. His gait remained deliberate and even, but his steps bore a noticeable tiredness.

Asteria was a peaceful realm, mostly so. A land that was proving to be more and more unsuitable to the knight, no matter how stubbornly he tried to ignore this happenstance. Truth be told, he was famished and tired, his attempts of concealing these deficits going half-hearted as his gaze remained intently flung about in search of any source of trouble he could find. In this state he was stalking the streets, his mammoth form giving metallic clinks as he stayed hunched in his search for more quests to fulfill.

 

[LiviathRose]

[class=container] width:80%; height:100vh; margin:auto;center; display:flex; flex-wrap:row-wrap; background-color: #770909; background-image:url(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b6/c1/59/b6c1590444929140e1ac358fae775fc3.jpg); background-size: 1500px 1000px; overflow:hidden; [/class] [class=textscroll] width:105%; height:100vh; overflow-y:scroll; [/class] [class=textbox] width:90%; padding:0.8em; font-familypen Sans; font-size:1em; color:#fff; text-align:justify; opacity:0.8; [/class] [div class=container][div class=contentwrap][div class=contentbox][div class=textscroll] [div class=textbox] ~ᏗᏕᏖᏋᏒᎥᏗ ~ ᏋᏉᏋᏁᎥᏁᎶ ~ 5ᎮᎷ-10ᎮᎷ ~
Chapter One: Rumors in the Night

Before the Marionette's Menegerie began, the group of puppets and Kindle herself greeted the girl as they do when people begin to arrive. One of the nicely carved puppets greeted the young girl and surprised her with a delicious looking fruit. The young girl wasn't particularly hungry but she accepted the fruit as she quietly thanked the puppet. The show went on as a she watched the show about a boy, a pirate and some treasure wondering if there was ever such thing as "treasure". What did the treasure typically look like, and did it have special powers? Biting into the fruit, the young girl made a puckering face and had a small laugh to herself as it made a juicy explosion in her mouth.
(1.2) After the show had ended, the young blond haired girl sneaked her way through the crowd leaving the stem from her fruit behind where she sat. She made break of the crowd and stood out on her own. The young girl stared out towards an alleyway as her eyes swelled once more. "Mommy...?" She quietly called out as if questions what she saw. In that moment, a loud gasp escaped from her as she yelled out, "Mommy! Mommy!" Darting towards the alleyway, there was no one in sight. So, what was she seeing? The young girl ran as fast as she could passing a few nearly pushing them out of the way. Into the alleyway she went, but never came out. Moments later a loud screech could be heard, possibly from that same young girl. Her screech was loud enough to disturb the dead.
"Monica!?" A man called out as he hysterically ran out towards the square from one of the homes. He called her name one more time, resulting in her calling out his. The father darted towards the alleyway in search of her.

As she watched the geodes float around the fountain, Viktoria heard her name being called out. She didn't recognize the voice right away, but her pigtails swung around as she turned to see who it was. "Ah-" she paused for a moment, "Selene!( Alteras ) I am doing fantastic, thank you!" Viktoria gave a cheeky smile as she greeted the Otherkin. "Yes, yes. The Threshcone, I am so glad it worked out for you. I would love to see some of your work sometime. " The two of them conversed for a moment before a dramatic event unfolded before them. Viktoria seemed shook by the event, but was confused as nothing bad ever happens in Asteria. Perhaps it was a girl playing some tricks, ..."that wouldn't be very nice. " she thought. Viktoria hesitated for a moment before looking back at Selene, even she wasn't sure to do despite being a Councilor. Putting her hands on her hips, "Well, that is just odd. Could it be some kid playing tricks around this time of night?" Giving a confused look, she contemplated on if she should investigate or not, but as Councilor she would not be able to take much action herself. [/div] [/div][/div] [div class=largepicture][/div]

[/div] [/div]

 

[darkborn]

Upon hearing the priestess call out to him, Varen's mind immediately recognized that voice. Elatha! How stupid of him! How could he forget such an interesting persona? At the very least, her paintings were extraordinary. Enough to warrant recognition. As Varen began berating himself mentally for this lapse in memory, he began approaching Elatha. Truth wasn't going anywhere for a while. He would still be in town tomorrow. Elatha, on the other hand, was a travelling priestess. She was like a butterfly- here one day, gone the next. Better take advantage of the discussions while he could, he supposed.

"Elatha! How are you doing?" Varen asked with a smile. He certainly hoped she was doing well. Who wouldn't? It would be a sin to wish anyone ill will, and, to be honest, Varen always hoped for the best in others. Well, most others. There were two exceptions to that list. But enough of them. He shouldn't let the grim past make him falter in this conversation. He wondered what topic Elatha would broach for him to discuss, as she had called him over for a reason, obviously.

As he pulled a chair up to sit next to the priestess, he pushed up his glasses. Not that they needed it. But, habits, he supposed. They always stayed. Just like inquisitiveness.... He couldn't help but curiously glance at Elatha's covered painting, yet he didn't pry into her affairs. Who knew? She might be saving that for a special event. Perhaps it was meant to be seen only when finished. It wasn't Varen's place to know.... at least, that's what his rationale told him.

 

[Lekiel]

"Excuse me Ms Bandlebrook, but did I miss the show again?" A young man with rusty red hair spoke, interrupting the halfing's nighttime reverie.

"Missed the show? Why it only begins tomorrow! Could you truly miss something that will only ever begin again?" Kindle replied brightly, as she swung her legs lightly kicking against the crates she sat on. Her grin faded partway as she realized that the stranger already looked disappointed even before she managed to finish her reply. And speaking of looking, his eyes appeared to be covered by a piece of white cloth. A most peculiar thing to do, if Kindle would say so herself. If one had eyes to see, why would they cover them? It was like trying to walk around with your feet bound, for no apparent reason. Most definitely a strange stranger this one.

Her perceptive eye could see that he was no large child, even if he had the height of one. The way with which he spoke, or grumbled in this case as he was rambling on about the council, and carried himself was enough to tell the petite girl that he was indeed not a child.

"Ah, a man-child." Kindle uttered her thoughts aloud, speaking to herself. Truth be told, she wasn't quite tuned in to what man-child was speaking about, more focused on trying to decipher his curious appearance. So she was somewhat taken aback to realize that he'd suddenly stopped speaking and was standing before her with a hint of blush on his cheeks before abruptly apologizing.

She thought he was finally going to introduce himself, but instead, he began by uttering two things that raised all four of Kindle's eyebrows; well she only has two, but it was that alarming! The first and worst of all, was the fact that he claimed he'd been a regular to her plays. She wasn't particularly good at names, but Kindle certainly could remember faces by sight! Deary me, she must be getting old to have missed his face. The second was of less import but no doubt was rather surprising. He saw magic? What magic did he see? Did he mean the way she made the marionettes move with such enrapturing grace? Wait, does that mean he could see beneath the cloth? So that meant he did not see the back of the cloth! Did that mean the cloth enabled him to see? So by extension, the cloth is his eyes? Is the cloth his eyes? Weren't eyes meant to be... eyeballs?? So Strange Stranger Man-Child had eyecloths instead of eyeballs for eyes??? Wouldn't his eyecloths collect so much dust that he'd become blind?! The revelation threatened to bubble out of her chest, but before Kindle could blurt anything out, Rusty Hair was already offering her a pouch of gold. She blinked, before gently shaking her head. As she did so, out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the little blonde haired girl with pigtails from before. She had only just popped the Popperange into her mouth. The way she giggled after warmed Kindle's heart.

"You're funny." Kindle remarked after turning back to him. "Why wouldn't it be the truth if you're offering me a gift! Offering it a gift and calling it a lie would make you a poor lier indeed!" A burst of laughter tinkled from her chest, cheery and sharply bright like the watery trickle of a forest stream caught in rays of daylight. Kindle hopped down from her perch to bow in gratitude to his kind offer. "The Marionette's Menagerie is certainly honored! Though must decline good ser... But if you're a willing giver, just a little ways down the road you'll find a cottage with a brown thatched roof and an apple tree in the front yard. The good lady Mrs. Adlewand runs an orphanage there and they could certainly take the coin!" Kindle waved her hand in the general direction of the orphanage.

"Monica!?"

A sudden shout, barely heard due to the distance and general din of the crowds, caught on the halfing's ears. She snapped her head in the direction of the shout and barely glimpsed a man disappearing around a darkened alleyway. On some unknown instinct, she turned back to where the Blonde Buttercup was only moments prior and found her perch empty. Gone. Just like Little Tilly all those weeks ago...

"Oh goodness..." A creeping feeling of unease teased uncomfortably at the nape of Kindle's neck. "If you'll excuse me good ser." She tipped her broad-brimmed hat towards the man-child before taking her leave, hurrying towards the alleyway as fast as her short legs could carry her.

Turning into the darkened corner she caught sight of the man. From his calls and near hysterical tone of voice, he appeared to be quite the worried pickle.

"Good evening ser! Whatever's the matter?" She called out to his back, concern evident in her voice. He was clearly looking for someone.

"Are you looking for a... little girl..?" She added hesitantly as if afraid that her inexplicable suspicion would be right. "Blonde hair... with... pigtails..?" Kindle winced.

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

As they approached, Elatha could not help smirk a little seeing in his eyes that his mind was working like whirlwind. She wondered what he was thinking that so engrossed a man like him. Well there was always one thing but she doubted Varen was mentally addressing her. He was sadly not the type for that. More likely he was over thinking something, maybe what to say to her or something he read."I have been well, being run ragged her and there but when is that any difference. You know I am glad I pumped into your... Admittedly any one of our order but..."

She trailed off when she noticed his eyes move from her to her canvas. She snapped her fingers infront of his face. "Hey, earth to Varen. I am talking to you here." She said firmly but her tone was calm and appeared she had taken this in good humor. "The painting is not finished yet. It is of the fountain and the scenery around her. It's rare you get a scene with such beauty and nuance like this.."

She shook her head."However that is neither here or there... Do you... Do you ever get feelings of premonition?"She asked curiously."Or heard of such things happening?"

darkborn

 

[WoolooQueen]

Living alone with her grandmother for most of her life, Ellory had grown accustomed to being by herself. She had kept herself busy reading books and experimenting with new potions. Still, she often found herself quite lonely. Sure, she interacted with the apothecary's patrons, but at the end of the day, they were just customers. All she had to do was say the right words to make a sale, and they'd be off, often never seen again. Although Elle didn't mind being alone, she couldn't help but feel something was missing from her life. She wanted a friend, someone she could talk to and exchange silly stories with. As she walked down the narrow path, pondering her life decisions, she heard a voice call out to her. She looked up to see Gaia, a wizard with a knack for gardening, standing in front of her, a questioning look on his face.

"Oh, hello Gaia," Ellory stuttered, surprised by the sudden acknowledgment of her presence. "No, I was just out for a stroll." She briefly looked past Gaia in the direction of the puppet show before returning her gaze, a slight pout settled on her lips. "I had hoped to see Marionette Menagerie's puppet show tonight, but I'm afraid I missed it." Suddenly feeling self-conscious at her obvious disappointment, an embarrassed blush dusted her cheeks. "You must think me quite silly, getting all upset over missing out on a show meant to entertain children." Feeling bashful, Elle grabbed for her locket, fiddling the small trinket between her fingers. "When I was a child, my grandmother brought me to Asteria to see a puppet show. It was one of the best days of my life." Ellory opened the locket, staring down at the photos inside, a somber smile gracing her lips. "Today would have been her birthday, so I thought I'd go see it for her." Blinking back a tear, she quickly clasped the locket shut, turning her gaze back to Gaia. "No matter, I suppose I can try to see tomorrow's show."

As she tried to think of a way to change the topic at hand, she heard footsteps rapidly approach them. She looked up to see Elta, a charming young musician, calling out to her and Gaia. Although they had only spoken on occasion, she had often heard the talented wizard playing the cello on the streets, the sound of which she found quite relaxing. She turned to face Elta, a shy smile on her face. “No, not at all. I was just passing by and Gaia happened to notice me, so we started chatting." She replied, quickly glancing at Gaia before talking once more. "You were headed to the puppet show as well? I’m afraid it’s long over by now.” Just as she was getting ready to continue speaking, she heard a shrill, childlike scream coming from a side street nearby, followed by a shout she couldn't understand. Startled, Ellory turned towards the sound of the scream, then back to her two companions. "My goodness, what on earth was that? It sounded like a child screaming." She thought back to the young girl she had seen run by her store in tears. “I wonder..." she muttered to herself, a concerned look on her face, before staring up at the two in front of her. "I'm sorry to rush off, but I'm going to go see what that was. If you'll excuse me." She quickly turned around and ran down the street, headed towards the screams. As she hurriedly peered down streets, she heard a man's voice calling out the name "Monica". Following the sound, she came to an alleyway, where she saw a man and... was that Kindle Bandlebrook with him? What was going on? She hurriedly approached the two, lightly panting from exertion. "Excuse me," Elle began, trying to catch her breath. "I heard screaming. Is everything alright?"

interactions: NighttimeForest L Libero Lekiel ​

 

[Alteras]

[div class=SelFlex] [div class=SelImage][div class=SelImageInside][/div] [div class=SelTitle]Selene Merseyles[/div] [div class=SelMentions] Character Sheet
Location:
Into alleyway

Interactions:
Viktoria LiviathRose
Elle WoolooQueen
Kindle Lekiel [/div][/div] [div class=SelContent]Selene was enjoying her light chat with the council leader. It's been a while they've spoken, especially considering their occupations. Unfortunately, the conversation was interrupted by the screams and commotion. Immediately turning her head in the direction it came from. "... That isn't a scream a prankster would make..." To say something feels wrong is an understatement. During her traveling days, Selene had seen and met many unfortunate victims and devious perpetrators of many different sins. Each and every time, she felt a mix of anxiousness, dread, and sorrow. Having come to Asteria, she didn't ever have to feel such negative emotions until the recent disappearances, and this one struck even harder as it had just occurred before her.

It wasn't long until Selene saw others run into the alleyway, namely the puppeteer Kindle Bandlebrook and apothecary Elle. Her face crumpled into worry and concern as she turned to look back at Viktoria. "We should probably chase after them as well." With a light pace, she made her way into the dark alley as well. Flipping open her notebook, she tore out an already painted page, one with a drawing of beautiful fireflies lighting the world within the page. Tearing the piece into shreds, she tossed it upward like confetti without any care. The ripped fragments transformed into dozens of miniature magical balls of light, fluttering and floating around like the fireflies that they once depicted.

With better vision provided by the magical fireflies, she pushed forward faster and turned the corner to spot Kindle, Elle, and the man the seemed to be the girl's father. It seems they're already asking the relevant questions, so she slowed her pace and brought the fireflies toward them. While they were talking to the man, she would look at the area around them for any clues; after all, this is starting to look more and more like another disappearance. [/div][/div] [class=SelFlex] width: 100%; max-width: 1000px; margin: 0 auto; justify-content: center; align-items: stretch; display: flex; flex-flow: row wrap; box-sizing: border-box; [/class] [class=SelImage] position: relative; width: 300px; max-width: 100%; min-height: 300px; max-height: 700px; background: #e6e1d8 url(https://i.imgur.com/ROvSFjm.jpg); background-blend-mode: multiply; margin: 5px; [/class] [class=SelImageInside] position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; background-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/i8w6Dal.png?1'); background-size: 175%; background-position: 70% 3%; [/class] [class=SelTitle] position: absolute; bottom: 10px; left: 10px; right: 10px; height: auto; width: auto; padding: 5px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; text-align: center; font-size: 32px; font-family: 'Cormorant Upright'; color: #a52b4e; background-color: rgba(200,200,200,0.7); [/class] [class=SelMentions] position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top:0; padding: 5px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Philosopher'; color: #e5e5dd; opacity: 0; background-color: rgba( 0,0,0,0.65); transition: opacity .5s; [/class] [class name=SelMentions state=hover] opacity: 1; [/class] [class=SelContent] position: relative; min-width: 200px; flex: 1; height: auto; padding: 0px 15px; margin: 5px; [/class]

 

[Severia]

Asteria square was more crowded that usual, though that was not the reason for Estelle's heavy sigh. If anything, it was really a rough day. She spent an entire morning attended a council meeting that was extended to the afternoon due that complicated topic of recent disappearances, something not commonly occurred in a place as peaceful as Asteria. After that, she left the meeting and expected to reach her house and comfy bed before sunset, only to run into a rampaging magical beast secretly kept as a pet. After dealing with everything, including a time-consuming process of covering the incident up from public and her fellow councilors, it was almost nine when she left the thankful culprit's house near the square. Due to that unexpected turn of event, she ended up lingering around to watch the puppet show she hadn't seen in months.

Even though it was not her first time, Estelle gave a loud applause when the show finished. While she was an experienced council member who lived more than 50 years, she was still a young girl in term of human's physical age, so she had every right to enjoy something like this. As usual, the half-elf's petite body and the upper half of her face were covered in a hooded garment that was better described as a cloak than a robe. While it looked rather suspicious, her height that was no different than that of children around her prevented the councilor from receiving unnecessary attention. While she was leaving the square and heading home, the girl thought about materials for a class she would be teaching in the next day. Suddenly, she was disrupted by another young girl bumping into her before rushing into the other direction. Estelle's gaze followed that blonde hair without holding any sign of grudge or annoyance. After all, the other girl had no need to apologize to someone with the same height as her who was impossible to be identified as a councilor due to the hood. Besides, even if she had revealed her face, getting mad over something small like this was not her tendency.

Her thought about various runes were disrupted for the second time, and this time it was lost entirely as she swiftly turned to the origin of the loud noise, which happened to be the alley that the girl from earlier just entered. In a situation like this, other council leaders would have acted more level-headed, but Estelle couldn't ignore someone who just screamed like that. Not in the place she was born, and not in this peaceful place either. There was a commotion caused by the scream, but the councilor couldn't care less. She skillfully used her short frame to move through people while heading into the dark alleyway. Along the way, she learned the name of the blonde-haired girl from the conversation between the puppet witch and a man who seemed to be that girl's father. She also recognized familiar faces, though none of that had any effect on her speed.

Character Sheet
Interaction: None
Mentions: Lekiel and anyone who want to be an acquaintance with a council member

 

[Feyrie]

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[/div] [div class=name]alexius ravigné [/div] [div class=leftTagContainer] [div class=scroll] [div class=tag]location[/div] the square, where the puppet show was
[div class=tag]mood[/div] overwhelmed to enthralled to bored
[div class=tag]tags[/div] Lekiel [/div] [/div] [/div] [div class=right] [div class=scroll] A week had just passed since he had entered inside the City of Asteria. Alexius was rather unsettled with the way he was suddenly being kicked out of his home by his grandparents. They had told him that what they were doing was for his own good but he couldn't understand. Alexius could still recall the day that they dropped the bomb to him. The more they had spoken, the more his eyes teared up as he clutched around Mr.Bear. The only thing that was processing on his mind was that they didn't want him anymore that's why they were kicking him out. "W-Was it because I didn't wash the dishes immediately last time?" he sniffled. "Or was it because I broke that Dada's precious vase?" He continued, his tears trickling down his cheeks as he despaired.

Alexius knew he wasn't his grandparent's actual blood related grandson but he thought of them as family. He thought- He thought that the same regarding him. It turns out it was him. Thankfully, the misunderstanding had been cleared up. However the fact didn't change that he had to go to the City of Asteria. For days, they spent trying to coax him that his trip there was for his own good. The person he was going to work under had a similar specialty to his and also worked as a toymaker. Alexius wasn't exactly a professional yet. He mostly did the stuff toys as a hobby which helped improve his head, giving them away for free majority of the time.

The day had come for him to leave. He spent so much time listening to them go on and on, regarding on what he should do, what he shouldn't do. The fact he should be careful especially with his health and to eat properly and etc. They reminded him to send them letters as often as he can. It was miracle he was able to leave at all since it appeared not to end. Alexius was only going alone in the trip in name. In reality, he was tagging along with acquaintances who were also going on their way too. It was only when they actually reached the gates of the city that he was actually on his own.

Imagine his surprise when he finally reached his destination, only to end up worrying that he had gotten the address wrong. It didn't really sink yet to the fourteen year old that he was really on his own in a foreign place. He clutched Mr.Bear while holding the rest of his things in another hand as fear seeps into him. His body started trembling in fear as he wasn't sure on what he was going to do. He didn't know anyone there. He didn't know anything here. Earlier, he was still enjoying sightseeing as everyone was new to him which made him starry-eyed. Now, it was a complete reversal and the young boy was ready to burst into tears in any given time. His lips trembled as he struggled to keep it together. His Grandfather had always taught to him the importance of being calm therefore Alexius had to stay calm. He had to stay-.

The beginning was rather tough between Kindle and Alexius. He had a hard time coping especially, in the nights. They did seem to get along, kind of. Alexius didn't know if it could be considered that. He hasn't had much experiences with people like Kindle so he wasn't quite sure how to act with her. She was mostly loud, kind of bossy too in his opinion. He didn't have much choice but to obey since he was technically working for her too. "ALEXIUS! DID YOU GET YOU GET MORE CRATES FOR SEATS AS I TOLD YOU!? TILLY, POPPY, GAD! HAVE YOU GUYS REHERSED YOUR LINES!? I SWEAR IF YOU CAN'T TELL YOUR JOKE WITHOUT LAUFIN YOUR BUTT OFF AGAIN I'LL-..." He can't help but squeeze his eyes from how loud she was. Alexius didn't say anything but carries a crate in his arms. It was a bit heavy for him, especially since his body's condition was a bit poor but it wasn't as though there was anything in the crates so it was still bearable. He did a few rounds picking up a crate and adding them for the additional children. The last crate was for himself which he had place Mr. Bear to wait for him.

Alexius had also watched the puppet show. He was mostly observing Kindle before and after the show. He didn't really know anyone asides from her. He did get acquainted with them, but he wasn't particularly close with any of them. Still, the puppet show was always quite magical. He knew how it worked and he had magic similarly to it too, but the stories that were being told was always rather interesting. He always found himself getting into the puppet show as much as the other spectators around his age or even younger. It wasn't quite obvious with how stoic his face was but you could see it in the way his eye would shine watching. The puppet show had eventually ended and various people started approaching Kindle. Alexius remained seated where he was, unsure on what to do. He had Mr. Bear seated on his lap, watching them converse with one another. Alexius wondered if it was possible for them to go soon as he started swinging his legs. [/div] [/div] [/div] [/div]

coded by shady.

 

[NighttimeForest]

Gaia listen to the alchemist as she talked. He didn't expect her to continue after saying she were out for a stroll. He nodded to the fact that the puppet show was surely done by now, one look at it could conclude that if not for the fact that his schedule often makes it so he doesn't see them. He is to blame for that of course, he makes his own schedule after all. He was surprised, though it didn't show on his face, that anyone would think it silly to be upset for not going to a show. After all he gets upset when he can't tend to his plants which leads to them being hurt. As Quinn grabbed her locket and started to mess with it Gaia tilted their head a bit to the side. He didn't want to interrupt the other. Her gaze went back to him and it ended on a happier note at least, as he opened his mouth to respond his attention was caught on someone calling out to them.

Adelaide who he knew mostly from their music came up. He rather enjoyed the music the other played, though he never told them. Quinn spoke up which made it so he didn't have to explain much at least. The glance she sent him wasn't lost to him, however he had no intentions of talking about what just happened. He did add his take on missing out on the puppet show though. "I came late,". Soon after a scream cut through the night and Gaia immediately turned to it's direction. Quinn was right that it sounded like a child which was worrying. Before he could say anything Quinn excused herself to go looking for the cause. He looked to Adelaide right after that happened "I don't think we should let her go by herself," As he said this he nodded to the other before heading off after Quinn.

He wasn't as hurried as Quinn was to get to the place as he looked around as he went. It could be any reason for someone to scream and he didn't want to accidentally run past anything that could help give clue to what may have happened. He heard a name being called out which was more than likely the name of who screamed before. Once he was able to catch up to where Quinn ran off to he saw the man who was in distress. Other people where around as well. Bandlebrook, Merseyles, and Elmeria who seemed to be investigating what happened. He was not an investigator so he moved to the side to make sure he wasn't in the way. "I don't know what happened, however if I can help then simple call my name," he decided to be more of a look out in case anything happened outside of the area they were looking at.

Interacted: WoolooQueen L Libero Lekiel Alteras Severia​

 

[Iamthemanfish]

Truth smiled at Kindel's reactions, it was refreshing to have a conversation with someone who didn't know his reputation or, magic forbid, think he was some sort of demigod. "A terrible liar indeed Ms. Bandelbrook, the worst in fact" he chuckled while slipping the bag of coin into one of his more mundane pockets, he fully intended to find this Mrs. Adlewand and pass on his gold if only he knew what exactly the word "brown" meant. "Brown" was probably one of those "colors" the other races were always going on about, an elf he had known once tried explaining what the color red looked like, and all it accomplished was giving both of them headaches. "I think I will do just that Ms. Bandelbrook, although I will need some more...", Truth cocked his head to the side as a piercing screech echoed around the square behind him, "did you hear..." he was interrupted again but this time by a much deeper voice yelling a name in distress. Before he could finish his question Kindel excused herself and left in a hurry toward the two sounds, "evidently you did hear" he mumbled before turning to follow the puppet master, only to pause a few feet away raise his open hand to his staff and whistle sharply, the thing slid across the paving stones and into his hand, "good stick" he said before continuing across the square after Kindel.


Kindel exited his sight range surprisingly quickly, forcing him to slowly work out where exactly the disturbance was through sound only, so by the time he arrived a sizable group of magical adepts had already gathered. Truth recognized most of them as they entered his range, Kindel, the ent, Gaia, who Truth knew only by reputation, the young woman who ran the apothecary where he picked up most of his deep stone, Ellroy Quinn, a fox woman whose magic wasn't familiar to him, and oddly enough the council woman Estelle Elmeria. The young Idearian made to join the rest of the adepts, but pulled up short when the rest of the alley way came into range of his sight with a confused expression on his face, "that's certainly odd" he commented to himself before moving to stand next to the councilwoman.

His confusion only grew as he focused more fully on the alley way behind the distraught father, something had clearly happened there, the magical energies were disturbed swirling and whipping around wildly. The only thing Truth knew that could do that was some form of adept using some form of magic, and due to his heritage he should have been able to read the flows and ebbs of magical energies like most people read a book, but he couldn't, which should be impossible. The magical energy in that alley had no pattern no discernible truth behind any of its movements, or at least none that he could see, which again was IMPOSSIBLE. "Ms. Elmeria, something very wrong happened here" he said darkly.


Interacted: Severia
Mentioned: NighttimeForest Alteras Lekiel WoolooQueen LiviathRose

 

[darkborn]

Mm. So it was just a painting of the square? Really, Varen didn't see why there was all this secrecy to the painting, but he supposed Elatha had her reasons. Maybe it was embarrassment or a simple belief that no one should view a painting until its finished. Either way, Varen wasn't about to contest it with her, when Elatha had made it clear that she didn't want any investigations into the painting. Even if Varen's curiosity was burning like a little lightning bolt. And Varen knew what a lightning bolt felt like. It hurt- a lot.

Elatha's question caught him by surprise, breaking him out of his current train of thought. "Feelings of premonitions or the like?" Hm. Unexpected; but... maybe that painting had more to do than he originally thought... but to answer the question! Varen shook his head in a negative, though shrugging his shoulders at the same time. He then said, "If you mean by divine or by magical, seer-like methods... then no. I don't believe I have." A bit silly perhaps, considering he was a magical priest of Orah, but he never went to fortune tellers or seers or other such people, nor had he ever had any dreams that foretold the future. At least, none that he could remember. However, he did learn to trust something else...

"I do know to trust my instincts whenever the future is unknown. Especially when dealing with enemies. Or during suspicious events. That's saved me a couple of times." And that was true: Many times, he was saved from an unexpected blow, a poisoned drink, or even a simple fall into some sort of grave because his honed instincts allowed him to at least anticipate danger. While it didn't completely free him from the peril, it kept him alive...as evidenced by his talking to Elatha. Though, he did have senses of deja vu from time to time. Almost as if he had dreamed the event, and he forgot the dream until the event happened. He began to speak, "There are... other times, where I-"

A scream cut off his statement. Varen's head snapped towards the source, where he saw others running to the disturbance already. An Alley. A perfect place for danger to happen. A perfect place to do some skullduggery. Varen soon began loping towards the scene, calling over his shoulder to Elatha, "Come on! Something bad's happened, by the sound of it."

He just hoped it wasn't too bad.

 

[LiviathRose]

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Chapter One: Rumors in the Night

Giving a firm nod, Victoria began to follow after Selene( Alteras ) while she held up her sage colored, flared out dress so she would not trip over herself. Her pigtails flowed behind her. She actually can't remember the last time she ran, even lightly, but made sure to at least stay close. As they made their way to the alleyway, Victoria watched as pieces of paper begun to fly upwards from Selene and turned into what appeared to be fireflies. "Oh magnificent," she thought to herself amazed by the light show as she continued to follow Selene with their path now lit. Upon arrival, Viktoria stepped up taking a look around as the others began to question to poor man. There were no traces of anything which was highly unusual as most magic will leave some sort of trace, but she was no expert either as she excelled in Alchemy, not magic. "Perhaps Imogene might know something..." She mumbled to herself.

(1.3)The man was on his knees whimpering as the group formed around him, "M-my little girl is gone! First my wife and now my little girl..." His tone died down as he looked helplessly down at the ground with his hands lifeless at his side. It was clear there was something brewing inside this man, something unpredictable. A few silent moments passed before he stood up shaking out of the emotional distress and grabbed Viktoria by the wrists. "You, you are a councilor, are you not?" Then shifts his gaze towards Estella ( Severia ) "And you? People are disappearing! My daughter! What have you people done for these-- these mysteries!?" Viktoria could feel her spine tingle as she was confronted but could not really muster anything to say, "W-well, it's....it's a little more complicated than just 'doing something' about it. But we will call for a meeting among the Council first thing tomorrow." But deep down Viktoria was scared out of her wits as she began to breath heavily, "Nothing bad ever happens here." She managed to break free from the man's grasp as she turned around and started to leave shaken. It was clear the man's confrontation left her in shock and left her paranoid for the night, she wasn't even sure if she was going the right way at this point.
As she walked off, the man watched her with anger in his eyes before turning back to the rest of the group. "Asteria is in dark times! If the council will not do something about it, I will. I have to find my family." The man walked off into the night, still hysteric as he would repeat of these "dark times" to just about everyone he passed. Eventually he made his way home locking himself in and shutting all the windows.

While all of this was happening, Imogene was finally making her way off the roof of her shop after a small nap. She lost track of time it seemed. Looking down towards the ground, she put her little feet fowards about to make the jump down. However, just as she was about to do so, something flew past her face. Giving a quick turn, she managed to get a glimps of it. "Soul essence?" she asked herself. It was rare to see soul essence to be free like that as it still lingered even over the dead and it even look like it had a destination. But Imogene did not go running after it, she was too exhausted and it was probably the result of another novice mage. Upon jumping down to the ground, Imogene entered her shop. Or she tried to. Instead, she completely forgot that the others locked it after cleaning up resulting in her walking into a door. She grabbed her nose as she welped lightly. With a big sigh, she stomped the ground and spun herself facing towards the direction of the square. It didn't take long to get to the square which she had to go through to get home, but as she drew close, a man rushed up on her saying something about "dark times". "Drunkard." she huffed as she pushed him away making her way home for the night. [/div][/div][/div] [div class=largepicture][/div]

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[Unwavering Knight]

For the Lady.

The rising crowd's disturbed utterings rang through the abandoned alleyway with the delectable volume of shock and fright. The despairing father's calls resounded over it all, first to realise his loss, then to cast his helpless misery upon the councilmembers.

Apart from it all stood a towering frame, girded from head to toe in a suit of plates that shone dimly in the creeping dusk. The helmed figure's inscrutable gaze swept across the gathering with starry precision, both searching and inspecting. From so afar, the knight might have been something of an unassuming figure in a land used to the shifting tides of fortune and conflict, but in Asteria things were different. Ostensibly. The father's anguished display as he emitted doomsayings into the empty night was watched with a curious craning of the knight's neck, as if trying to parse the proceeding from a different angle. His scrutiny commenced in silence.

Silence, except for the distinct sounds emerging from the knight's headpiece.



Helbrecht had been told numerous times that the sounds he emitted while pushing oxygen into his throat and lungs were dislikeable. He could not change his breathing, but he could change his location, as such he had gotten used to staying apart from such gatherings. Famished as he was, this impression had only increased the longer he remained in this land. He had no desire to disturb Kindle's show, so full of swagger and mirth that it could enrapture a fair crowd. Because of this he had limited himself to simply giving a subdued applause from afar, the clanking of his metal-hands producing a piercing sound. Such was the being of this domain that the knight had taken on a sedate bearing. Perhaps some might have called the things he felt in this land 'bliss', or 'sobriety'.

But now with this this sight before him, the fright and creeping gloom slowly travelling into the hearts of the onlookers, a certain part of the knight was beginning to be roused. It was a portion of his being that had been starved and atrophied in this realm. His exhaustion lessened ever so slightly, his gaze increasing in intensity as the realisation of the incoming events slowly dawned upon those present.



A single, quiet word emerged from his helm; its implications were bleak, its direction was aimless. Few would have heard it, fewer yet would have cared, what with the sight of the forsaken father being so much more distinct as he vanished, dejected, in to the night. He felt something in the air, his sense for quests making him look up into the darkening skies. The feeling of an incoming disaster that had often driven him towards a certain spot to await perdition with his sword held high. He could feel it not in a single spot, he had not felt it where Monica had traipsed to her apparent vanishment, but he could feel it.

All around. Everywhere. For miles.

The knight's mammoth figure gave a twitch, his breath gaining in heat.

 

[darkborn]

Just as Varen approached the crowd, he noticed a man breaking off, ranting about "dark times." Someone acting like that was a sure sign of a first-hand witness. Or close enough to be considered one, at least. But he couldn't follow the man at the moment. Why? Because there were other people gathering around where the crime happened. People ruining the evidence! He cursed ever so slightly, wincing as he did so, before praying a short, quick prayer of forgiveness. However, there was crimes happening; any evidence recovered could mean people saved!

Varen's entire demeanor changed. Instead of being the easygoing, slightly frazzled man switching focus on everything, he became a commanding figure, eyes intent on one position, his presence forcing others out of his way. When he neared the strange, gargantuan knight, his eyes flicked briefly towards the figure, before returning their blazing gaze to the crime scene. And at that point, he said in a slightly raised voice, that could still be heard over commotion, so intense it was, "Out of the way. Get away from that alley. Don't you know you're ruining any potential evidence? Now, move! I'll have to see if I can sort old footprints from the new ones you all made!" A bit terse and somewhat irritable, but necessary. He could potentially save a life. However, he paused for a second, looking behind him to make sure Elatha was following him, that she didn't get lost in the crowd. He kind of assumed, almost forced her to come along, and he felt slightly guilty for that. Then, he resumed his investigative mindset.

Varen began mentally preparing a checklist of what to do. Check for footprints. Look around for loose threads, blood spatters, dead skin, anything that could have been left behind. Determine if magic was used, and if so, what kind of magic was used. Figure out the height of the kidnapper, as well as gender, weight, and style of clothing. Deduce where the man came from, where he/she grabbed his/her victim. Determine who was the victim. Interrogate the ranting figure- so find out where he lives. Find out motives. Plot the next move. So many things, and so little time. This was the first real lead he had since a week. And this one was reliable. Now, he just had to save the victim.