Fantasy The Crimson Queen *Reborn*

[Rhythm Writer]

*Read Overview for Information*


|Characters|

• @PhantomWriter ~ Leothan A. Kenton
  
• @Unwavering Knight ~ Sir Syrann and Kaatl
  
• @Xenonia ~ Marianne Tomie
  
• @Blumenkranz ~ Nina Farore
  
• @CallSign ~ Sir Isaac Dorovich
  
• @DrBones ~ Leroy Peddimarco
  
• @FaithEvergreen ~ Faith Ariawyn
  
• @Dragongal ~ Polaris A. Mentha
  

This is the updated list of those currently accepted. If your character is not on this list but you have submitted a CS to the sign-up page, then we are currently evaluating your character. If your character does not meet guidelines or we feel it does not fit within this Rp, we will PM you. However, if you've received no PM and are not on the list after 24 hours of character submission, please PM either me, Dragongal, or Unwavering Knight directly and we will get back to you ASAP.

 

[Unwavering Knight]

The White Knight


"Fear not, maiden, salvation is at hand!" the voice bellowed with utmost certainty, warhammer raised in confidence of impending victory, muscles clicking into place beneath the armor, breath rising, heartbeat increasing.


The very picture of a true and utter knight, fitting to be imagined standing before an army of righteous fellows in defiance of an incoming darkness-


-only slightly lessened by the fact that the "incoming darkness" was in fact an ordinary tree, the "maiden" a scared kitten 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 vigor as he charged the tree, letting go of the hammer on the journey, grabbing hold of the bark and climbing the greenery with surprising agility, before retrieving the cat with the care befitting of a hero rescuing the scared damsel from the very face of danger.


Unfortunately, the twig formerly capable of holding the weight of the kitten showed itself to be quite incapable of holding the weight of a fully armored giant.


Crashing down in a shower of foliage, the knight's back came to a painful impact upon the earth, the cat's owner giving a worried cry as she hastily ran towards the downed hero, who in turn raised his arm, holding high the undefiled kitten, to be accepted with tears and and words of incessant thanks by the girl who herself appeared to have gotten caught up in her own passion for the tale.


Seeing the girl off with a friendly wave, Syrann felt his heart grow a bit lighter, certain that the world had been brightened by just a little bit. Saving kittens was nice.


It was nicer than kneeling by a mortally wounded whore in a filthy ally, shanked by some small-time thief for a mere pittance, comforting her as her dimming eyes pleaded for some miracle. It was nicer than leaving the lair of an insane child-murderer in flames, before returning to the orphanage to tell the matron that her charges would not return. It was nicer than having the entire world darken before his eyes, the walls covered in pulsing flesh, the diseased stench of blood, rotten meat and pus in the air.


Oh yes, saving a kitten was nicer than that.


"Don't you think so too, Kaatl?" the knight asked cheerfully as he lifted up his mammoth torso, the fairy's dainty feet coming to a stand first on the shoulder, balanced by the flapping of her wings, prior to elegantly seating herself, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, and carefully patting his helmeted head.


Syrann gave a laugh "Thought so too!"


Standing up, dusting himself off, the knight went to grasp his hammer and pack. Affixing the weapon on his back, he took out his fiddle and bow, before striding along the street as he practiced.

 

[Dragongal]

Polaris sheathed her sword, kept her shield on her left arm, and uncoiled her whip, made from a thick, wickedly thorned vine, hitting it against her target, a dead tree, carving a simple version of the crest on her shield: a tree; on her shield, a green tree on a white field. She was rumored to have some high noble blood in her, but she didn't care, really. She stepped back, adjusted her shield, and then swung her whip powerfully, hitting dead center on the dead tree, where she'd been chipping out designs. She heard the creaking and groaning, waiting, then dove to the side, rolling out of it, as the dead tree fell to the ground where she'd been standing.


She stood, dusting herself off. She attached the vine back to her belt, and her shield back onto her back, over the slightly tattered green cloak. She walked up to the stump, seeing that, in the very center, there was a bit of green. She looked around; nobody was there. She beckoned to the green, living tree part, promising it light, nutrients, and the wonderful wind blowing through its leaves. It grew, swiftly sprouting leaves, growing branches, blooming. She laughed a little to herself, and then told it to slow its growth. It listened to her, thanking her in that silent way plants did for her.


She picked up a rusty old axe she'd "borrowed" (She'd return it later, and she'd secure the head on for them as payment) and walked over to the fallen tree, raising the axe to sever off a large limb that'd fetch her a good price with the butcher, when she stopped the axe above her head. Suddenly there was a lad in white finery standing to her right, facing her, on one knee, holding out a letter. She slowly lowered her axe, setting it down against the tree. She smiled at him, saying, "I believe you work for the White Queen. If this is correct, you've found the wrong girl." Seeing that he did not reply, she took the letter, trying to read it and keep him in sight, but as soon as she looked up from the letter, he was gone. Not knowing what to do, she smiled, shouting, "I agree!"


After waiting for a bit, she shrugged, saying to herself, "Well, they'll come for me, it says. Better get some money with this log in the meantime," as she picked up the axe and resumed swinging.

 

[FaithEvergreen]

Faith Evergreen


Meanwhile as chaos continued throughout the Steins as they always had, a dark result of said chaos was still keeping a rather devastating hold on its people. Within the third stein especially, there were many wounded and sick individuals simply fighting to survived, their efforts hindered by the lack of help provided to them by the White Queen.


Because of criminal activity organized by particular groups within the stein, many of the remaining individuals who had no involvement with them were left to die without aid. They were left with three choices: join a criminal organization, let themselves parish among the remains of what was once a proud environment to live...


...or try their best to seek help from one of the few who could save them...


Like every other day Faith was surrounded by the groaning of the sick and dying or the outcries of pain and agony. For many people this would be torture, listening to many people call out for the immediate help that could not be provided...but Faith always kept a positive attitude moreso for her patients than herself. "Mr. Evelyn please, I understand it hurts but you must calm your screaming...continuing like this will worry your children..."


Mr. Evelyn was a middle-aged man gaunt and sickly who was taking care of his three children. He worked most of the day and even into the night to provide for them until he had broken his leg in three places. Because of lack of care he had allowed his leg to get infected, and even with the food his children provided he was still struggling to stay alive.


With a final pull Faith managed to break his leg into the correct position, the man's screams being silenced by the wooden splint she had forced into his mouth to prevent him from sinking his teeth into his tongue. "The worst is over Mr. Evelyn," she said with him cheerfully as the man fell back, letting out his remaining cries of pain while Faith set the splint and wrapped his injury.


A young child rushed over, peeking curiously at his father as Faith worked on him, "Why couldn't you heal him?"


"I need to reserve my strength for those who are dying, that way I can keep everyone safe," Faith responded a simple response...if only it was that simple. Every time she healed someone Faith felt like she was sacrificing a part of her own life, healing with her own physical skills helped keep that from causing her to become weak. Still, the weakness she received when using her abilities did not stop others for demanding she healed them. For a moment her thoughts wandered to a time when she did not struggle on her own, the times she had with her grandmother...'I only wish you were still here...'


Continuing to go about her work, she began to realize she was running low on supplies again. With a very heavy heart she released a sigh and admitted to herself, 'I don't know how much longer we can go on like this...we need more supplies and food for the sick...please I just need a sign, tell me how I can truly help these people!'

 

[CallSign]

A hooded figure wove its way through the morning crowds of a market in the second stein. The figure went to great lengths not to bump into any of the patrons of the market. The figure didn't draw much attention to itself as it made its way toward a shop on the corner of one of the main roads - a prime location for a shop.


The figure strode confidently toward the counter, paying no attention to the assorted wares around him. He lowered his hood, revealing his long, silver hair and angular features. The attendant looked up as he approached, then bowed as he recognized his master and the owner of the shop, Sir Isaac Dorovich. Isaac rapped his knuckle against the counter as he passed, heading for the back room. With one hand he slid the sack off his back as he unlocked and opened the door to his office with the other.


Isaac closed the door behind him and immediately locked it. He moved to his desk to activate a pressure plate, causing multiple things to happen: outside the office, a shelf silently slid in front of the door, obscuring it from view. A curtain lowered over the door on the inside of the office, as well as the window above Isaac's desk. A table in the corner of the office slid away from the corner, revealing a trapdoor beneath it. Finally, the fake wall across from Isaac's desk folded upward, revealing a hidden room that held only a table, two chairs, and a pile of sacks identical to the one Isaac had brought with him.


His black market sales room now ready for business, Isaac stomped twice on the trapdoor before moving to the pile and carefully placing the sack among its brethren. He had just taken his seat when the first head poked up from the trapdoor. Naturally, the client wore a black mask and hood to protect his identity from the other clients waiting beyond the trapdoor, but Isaac was easily able to identify his clients. "I trust you didn't find the wait too terrible, sir. I'm sure you understand the difficulty involved with procuring and transporting a dragon egg on such short notice, after all. Please, take a seat."


Pleasantries followed, and as Isaac counted out the payment he reminded the client to only recommend him to clients who could keep his dealings secret. The payment was indeed fully there, and it seemed there was a tip included as well. Isaac pushed this excess payment back to his client. "In this market, we only deal with the agreed-upon amounts. Nobody overpays, and nobody ever, EVER underpays. I appreciate the thought, but the principal of the matter remains. Now, here is your egg." Isaac passed the egg, still in its sack, to the client. "You may check it here. If it is not to your liking, leave it and take your money back. Otherwise, leave the way you came, and keep the goods in the sack until you get home." The client glanced into the sack, then nodded to Isaac before leaving through the trapdoor.


Once the trapdoor was secured shut, Isaac took the payment to one of the walls of the secret room. Pushing on one of the bricks caused a section of the wall to swing outward, revealing a safe. Isaac stored the money within the safe, then closed both doors before once more stomping twice on the trapdoor and returning to the table. This time, however, he was stopped before he could sit down.


A head rose swiftly from the trapdoor, followed by a small body. The cloak the figure wore seemed almost like a ghost costume, as it covered the figure's face. Isaac had never seen this customer before, and as this was a delivery day and not a negotiation day, he was stunned. How could the underground allow such a failure? I shall be recommending quite a few workers to be fired for negligence later, he thought. His confusion and anger, however, were quickly disposed of when the figure removed its cloak, revealing the White Queen's messenger.


"My my, what have I done to earn such a visit? Surely you aren't here to arrest me; I suspect you would've been dropped into the sewers by now if that were the case. No no, don't give me the letter now, I want to puzzle this out. So you, the mysterious messenger of the White Queens, have been ordered to carry a letter to a disgraced nobleman such as myself. Is she extending a pardon to me?" Isaac looked down to the silent messenger, who by now was on one knee, proffering the queen's letter to him. "No no, the stationery is too fine for that. An invitation, perhaps? But why would she seek the company of one who openly dislikes her? Hmm..."


Isaac gasped as the wilder parts of his imagination worked with the more prideful parts of his logical mind to produce the most illogical of answers. "Of course! She has recognized her own ineptitude and is offering the crown to me! It all makes sense now." Isaac looked again at the messenger and found his smile fading. "No no, that is far too optimistic of me. After all, even I don't think I am fit to lead a country; I'm surprised my humble business is doing so well. You didn't hear that, my mysterious friend," he added, tousling the messenger's hair idly.


"Ah, I'm wasting far too much time with my silly rambling. Thank you for delivering this, and good job finding me. Should this be a summons as I believe it is, tell the escort that I shall be waiting at the gate to the inner stein. If it isn't, well, give the White Queen my bad regards for me. Oh, and do be careful on the ladder going down; the blindcloth does make it difficult to get down safely." Isaac finally accepted the letter from the messenger. He had waited to accept it so that the messenger would stay to witness his rambling; he knew it would delay the messenger's other deliveries and hadn't had a chance to exercise his pride in a long while. "And send up the next client while you're at it, since your visit has put me even further behind schedule for the day."

 

[PhantomWriter]

Leothan A. Kenton

​

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Why must the sun be so bright? Leo thought to himself, carelessly kicking a small stone around in the marketplace of the 2nd stein. This is where he went most days, helping out with merchants who needed it, and kept distance from those who didn't. Leo hadn't much else to do lately, nor had he a home to call his own. A few months back he discovered a particular unique ability he had, one that would haunt him for the rest of his life.


One night, he changed... becoming a being that was not him at all. A rabid beast he could not control, a monster that killed his own family. His mother, his father, he didn't even have the strength to spare his little sister. The next morning he woke up in their blood, body parts scattered around him.


Sighing, trying to shake this awful memory, Leo stood up when suddenly a young man stood before him. He dressed in a manner similar to the royal members did. But it couldn't have been, for they have no reason to come into contact with him. Unless, do they know he's responsible for the homicides within his family? Shaking his head, he addressed the young man who had yet to speak a word. "Hello, do you need something?" Leo asked.


Strangely, the man did not respond, but instead dropped to a single knee and presented him with a letter. Leo hesitantly reached to grab the letter and began to look at it as if it was something he had never seen before. Confused, he looked away from the letter to see the young man walking away. "Hey, wait up!" Leo chased him but it was no use, he disappeared into the crowd as if he were a ghost. Scratching his head, Leo decided to make his way to a tree on the outskirts of the stein where he could read the letter in peace and silence.


He winced as he sat beside the trunk of the great tree, his back resting upon it. He looked at the envelope one last time, his fingers playing with it, before finally opening it to read what was within.


...What?





Several hours later, just as the letter had said, men from the inner stein approached him. Leo was resting himself against the tree; the sundown created a beautiful contrast between the bright orange and the shadows which covered the men's faces. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought they were thieves utilizing the darkness in the light. Leo smiled, and stood up, putting his arm around one of them as if they'd known one another for a long time. "So, where 'we going? I hear the Queen has requested my personal assistance. I feel special!"


Like before with the kid who brought him the message, he received no response. Damn, are all these Royal servants' robots? He sighed, putting his hands in his pockets, and walked away.


Suddenly, one of them spoke out to him. "This way." So, the robots are capable of speaking! Letting out a slight chuckle, he followed them to the inner stein.

 

[Blumenkranz]

Nina Farore


The light of a single candle illuminated the room in mysterious ways. The shadows casted by the items scrambled all around the desk formed enigmatic shapes that danced to the rhythm of the igneous ballerina, guided by the caprice of an invisible hand. And there, in the middle of this intimate show, a girl stood in her chair, trying her best to fight the fatigue of many sleepless hours to focus on a pile of untidied papers that were laid out in front of her.


Countless apparently nonsensical scribbles cluttered these pages, some written with black ink, some written with red ink. Most people would have just mistaken them for some sort of abstract art piece, but for Nina they were clearly something more. They were instructions, recipes, programs that some day would be part of her latest project. But that day was not going to be soon, not unless she managed to make sense of it.


The pieces of the puzzle didn't seem to fit anymore. She was stuck, unable to advance with this problem. It seemed like it was an impossible problem, something that would be better to forget and simply start again from scratch, but she refused to believe this. Nina didn't remember how many hours had already spent on this, she didn't want to believe they were in vain. There had to be something she had overlooked, something that would completely change the perception she had of this and hopefully show her the way to the solution, but it seemed impossible to find. Frustrated, she simply let gravity do its job and accommodate her back on the wooden chair, never averting her gaze from the unintelligible documents.


Nina stared at her own drawings for what seemed like hours. She wasn't only not thinking correctly, she was practically not thinking at all anymore. Clearly, too much thinking about this and too little sleep affected her mind. Maybe it would have been wise to rest for a bit, but Nina knew sleep was for the weak, and even if she wanted to try, she would have been unable to shut her eyes unless she figured this out.


But then, something weird happened. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was that she had finally gone crazy, but truth is the documents looked different now. Nina jumped from her chair, ready to inspect closer the papers, but she only found out that they were still the same papers she was studying some minutes ago. Still, there was something different about them, like they were whispering something to her.


The runes started to dance...




A familiar sound woke Nina up. The sound of paper waving in the air, yet the breeze was nowhere to be felt. She was definitely indoors, with all windows and doors closed. Where did that noise come from?


It took her a few seconds to become fully conscious. Her delicate cheek caressed a texture she knew very well: her wooden old desktop. She fell asleep while working, again.


Nina raised her head. Her eyes didn't become accustomed to light yet, but she was able to notice there was a humanoid silhouette in front of her. The girl awkwardly jumped from her desk, trying to get ready to attend a customer that had been watching her sleep for probably quite some time.


"Eh, uh... excuse me, I don't know what happened there, I..." - said Nina as she shuffled around the mess that was her counter to get it minimally presentable to the public - "Welcome to my shop. May I help you with something?"


But the boy was no customer. He wore the attire of those who serve the queen, for passion or for money. Judging by the kid's absolutely inexpressive face, it seemed to be for money. He had been kneeling down in front of her desk for who knows how long, with his arm extended forwards to hand her a carefully wrapped letter. He probably was the royal messenger.


Nina silently grabbed the letter, and as soon as the envelope was secured between her fingers, the boy left without muttering a single word. Confused, yet still not fully aware of the situation due to waking up some instants ago, the woman picked up a small letter opener she kept in her desk's drawer, and then carefully cut the wax seal.


The first thing that she noticed was the impeccable handwriting. "Huh, so this is what the queen has been up to all this time", thought Nina to herself. Indeed, the enchantress didn't feel any special affect or respect towards Wunderheim's queen, amongst other things because as far as she knew it was her counselors who were doing the actual administration of the kingdom. And it wasn't specially good.


After pondering if that letter had actually been written by her or one of her servants, Nina continued reading the contents of the message. The enchantress couldn't contain a small smug chuckle at the statement that they had "secretly" fallen into dark times, for it was not very secret. The extreme gap between classes, the worrying amount of psychopaths inside the inner circle and the entirety of the third stein were proof of it, but not that the queen would ever know if she kept living in her little fantasy bubble.


Apparently, the queen demanded her presence for some unspecified reason, but there was one word that really caught her eye: "reward". Nina was sure the palace probably had a private library full of forgotten books she could use to expand her pool of knowledge, and if that wasn't the case, some expensive materials for her investigations would do the trick. Hell, depending on the task she could even demand both things! This was truly an unique opportunity, an offer she couldn't reject.


With a smirk drawn on her face, Nina fell on the chair once more, just to witness a horrible sight: the ink of some of her papers had smudged to the point it became impossible to read. During her sleep, her saliva had fallen all over her work, destroying hours of work... forever.

 

[Xenonia]

Marianne Tomie


The youngest courtesan of the Tomie household was having a lovely day. She always had a lovely day, of course, and always wanted for nothing. Her family was among the wealthiest in the realm, and with their wealth came status. Marianne was sewing absentmindedly, smiling wide for any who passed by her window to see. On the inside, though, she was trembling with fear. This was the first time she had sewn since her foolish foray outside of the safety of the Inner Stein. She wanted to forget it had ever happened, that anything had ever been wrong, or difficult... To make it seem like just a bad dream.


Then came a knock at her bedroom door. rather than stand up to see who it was, Marianne was certain that anyone who got into her home was trustworthy enough. "Come in!" she beckoned to whoever it was. Her manners were nothing, if not impeccable. At that, the door opened, and a young... Boy? Entered. She opened her mouth to greet him, but in a moment he was beside her, knelt down, hands outstretched with a letter. "For me?" she inquired pleasantly. The boy did not answer. He seemed... Unnatural. Surreal, almost. Tentatively, she reached out and grasped the letter from his hands. And with that... He was gone.





Marianne was very careful about opening the letter. She was always very careful, nowadays. As the seal of the envelope broke to reveal the contents within, she hastily put on a pair of gloves with which to remove the letter itself. She didn't want to smudge such beautiful parchment with her fingers, after all. A cursory glance over the impeccably penned letter filled her with glee. She had been invited to a banquet at the queen's palace! Only in her dreams had such a thing even been possible! She proceeded to read the letter several more times over, just to be sure she had interpreted it correctly. She had! Marianne let out a light squeal of delight. Father and mother would be so proud! Maybe they would finally forgive her for... Oh...


She shook her head to be rid of the thought. This was a happy day, for happy thoughts! The only thing she needed to worry about was what to WEAR? And with that, she left her room to make for the tailor's shop.

 

[DrBones]

Leroy Peddimarco


"That's not what your uncle Hamish said when he had to muck out the privy!"


"Grand-mum, we have servants for this! Why should I have to do it?"


"Leroy Manfred Peddimarco, you will go out there and clean the privy. If not for you, then for your kids!"


"For Clispaeth's sake, grand-mum, I don't even have a brush! I'm gonna have to ask the groundskeeper for his!"


"That sounds like it's not my problem! Now go down there and get to it!"


Leroy had to admit, death did nothing but strengthen his grandmother's resolve to control the household. She was frighteningly convincing, especially since she demanded she get coated in lead instead of the traditional gold, silver, and copper. Being shouted at by a jet-black skeleton is rather difficult to ignore.


Leroy stomped downstairs, and into the servant's quarters. Luckily for him, the groundskeeper was still taking inventory.


"Groundskeeper Shanks?"


"Wotcha, m'lud."


"I have need of one of your tools."


"Sure thing, m'lud! Which'a them ya want?"


"Which is best for cleaning out a privy?"


"Person'ly I'd 'ave a go with a bucket an' a shovel. If y'ain't one fer smellin' muck, I got me mints handy."


"That'd be delightful. Thank you, mister Shanks."


"No worries, m'lud. Always fun when one'a them elders decides t'take charge. You 'ave a nice day now, m'lud."


Leroy was about halfway through cleaning out the privy when a messenger from the Queen herself came by. Leroy, still carrying a bucket of waste to the compost bin, was briefly flatfooted by the messenger's appearance. However, being a man of noble born, he regained his composure in time to understand the contents of the message.


"So, the queen's toys have lost the bits that make them go, and now the people who stole those bits are using them to... do what, exactly?


The messenger nervously flicked his tergum. He hadn't expected anyone to be so nonchalant about such an occurrence.


"Well, the jewel thieves are gaining power from the servants' gems. They might use it to become superpowerful murderers!"


"I fail to see how this would affect anyone. It's the queen's problem, she should be able to deal with it herself."


"My lord, your lack of concern is noted. However, the queen's head servant has told me that, should you accept and complete this mission, he will do everything in his power to increase your standing amongst the other nobles. You might even be given a fiefdom!"


"Hold on, this isn't from the queen? It's from her servant?"


"That is true, my lord."


"That's even less reason to follow this mission! What could you possibly offer the Peddimarcos that could make this worthwhile?"


The messenger's vertices writhed in nervous agony.


"W-w-well, it'll be something to do? A-and it'll get you out of the house? A-and it'll... it'll make your family like you better?"


Leroy scratched his chin thoughtfully. He did need to get out more. Some exercise and socialization would be good.


"Fine. Tell the... queen's servant that me and my family will be there in time for the feast."


The messenger breathed a sigh of relief through its perineum and hurried off.


Leroy, still holding his filled bucket, continued his job. The queen can wait for a while, he thought, the privy, however, cannot.

 

[Rhythm Writer]

Lief Kolanthel




The sun glared down upon the lands of the Outer Stein. Birds chirped, soft winds rustled the willows’ leaves, the cloudless skies more blue than the Queen’s bright azure eyes. A wonderful day in Wunderheim.


A debatable statement, especially to Lief, who sat beside a tree which lined the dirt road he’d been traveling on. Shielding the sun from his eyes with his hand, he huffed, wishing the sun had no existence. He truly hated all forms of light, the sun being the worst.


He jumped up to his feet, holding in a yelp of pain after his pet bird named Raven, bit him. Cawing first, the bird spoke. “Oh quit it, you big baby. The sun isn’t that bad. Come on, the Queen needs you and you choose to spend many hours wasting your time by hiding beneath the canopy of a tree? How honorable of you sir! I’m sure the Queen will appreciate this.”


“Oh shut up, you dumb bird. You know I choose to travel at night and rest by day! This is the time of Thieves. Criminal activity has risen greatly over these past months. This is why the Queen needs me!” He shouted at the crow, but soon relaxed and sat back down.


Lief reached into his pack and pulled out the letter he’d received from a boy messenger a few days back, who spoke no word and left within seconds of delivering the letter. Not that one would blame him. Why would anyone choose to stay within the walls of the Third Stein, especially a member belonging to the Royal Family? The letter said there would be guards to escort him to the inner stein, but it was obvious that this would not happen for many would rather not enter this stein at all, for the many dangers and bandits it holds.


Though, there was no denying the fact that Lief hated the sun, and was the reason he chose to rest on the roadside. However, he shouldn’t let this keep him from traveling during the day when the Queen needed his assistance. Raven may be annoying, but he also proved a point.


“This breeze feels so nice…” Lief whispered calmly. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he thought about the last time he slept, which had been days ago. Maybe a week. A few times he could doze off for a few minutes, but nothing more. He learned at a young age that sleep was unnecessary and you must stay alert, anything can happen and you are most vulnerable when asleep. Nevertheless, Lief still faced the torment of severe drowsiness here and there.


Raven bit him again, when he noticed Lief’s eyes shut. “Damn bird.” He got up, grabbed his pack, and held out his arm for Raven to land on. “Fine, I’ll get up. Sheesh.”

 

[Dragongal]

GM


Those coming through the gates into the Second stein from the Third were stopped for inspection in front of the 3-yard thick steel gates set into the high stone walls, for even the letter and guard was not considered enough. In the end, all were let through, and were allowed to pass through to the Second Stein. Here were many markets with items those who'd lived in Third Stein had quite likely never seen, of quality only imagined. Upon reaching the gate from the Second Stein into the First, the letter was enough for the guards, who allowed our heroes to pass through the yard-thick steel gates peacefully. The Inner Stein, for those from the Second Stein, was beautiful, perfectly well-kept, clean, bright, with a market of items of high quality not seen in the Second Stein. To those from the Third Stein, it was like heaven; beautiful in ways only dreamed of, yet, to some, so clean and well-kept, that it was too... artificial, like those walls, too man-made. The gardens were beautiful, but it looked very clean-cut, and where the gardener had tried to make it look naturally chaotic, it looked like he'd tried. The houses rose high, and beautifully colored and decorated, and the streets were almost too clean to walk on.


(TO HEROES: YOU MAY WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT PASSING THROUGH THE STEINS; PERHAPS YOUR CHARACTER BOUGHT SOMETHING, HAS THOUGHTS ON THE SOCIAL CLASSES, ARCHITECTURE, OR THE LIKE. YOU MAY ALSO NOW INTERACT; IN FACT, INTERACTION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED.)