ORIGIN - Year 8 Archives

taste of failure [TRANSCENDENCE]

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 15:28:19 -0500

The rhodochrosite chrysalis that had been set just outside of Emuh's cave at last cracked and shivered. Within, Wilder was slowly coming around to consciousness and the adrenaline that had been shooting through her nerves when she'd last been awake was again flooding through her veins. Everything came to a head in a single snap of panic and the crystal shattered around her, depositing the wet, trembling bundle onto the ground.

She bounced to her feet immediately, brain still whirling, trying to catch up with what had last happened to her. She was...taking the Trial. Right. The crystals, and Emuh's harsh words. The failed magic hot in her veins. She came to the realization a moment later that sent dread through her every nerve.

She had...failed.

Eyes wide, body trembling nonstop. She had failed. Her trial, she hadn't cast a single spell! Failure. Failure!

She thought that, perhaps, she'd feel defeated. Depressed. That she'd shut down like she had before and everything would feel hopeless yet again. But....no. She felt angry. At herself, at the trial, at the whims of fate making her magic freeze before it began.

It welled up like boiling water until it burst from the lid and suddenly there was light, blinding light and Wilder realized she was screaming and something had exploded. There was heat - not the searing painful heat from before, but hot enough for her vision to clear (it had gone blurry? She'd barely noticed).

Plasma lay before her, splattered across the stone, a shard of her chrysalis gone blindingly bright. She stared at it, or as close to it as she could without stamping a permanent spot in her vision, before she whipped around, the anger still hot and heavy in her veins, and stopped in front of Emuh's cavern.

She was about to call for him at the top of her lungs when an inquisitive thought appeared at the edge of her mind. And then she realized how close the presence had become. Vaati was near - not close enough that he'd been in danger, but near enough that she could feel him behind and to her left.

She looked back. "I told you to hide and wait for me," she hissed, shoving him away with a thought, but he resisted.

She felt him push back, staying where he was, worry flooding her mind. He had waited for her - she could see the place he had been and she could feel the time he had been waiting. Half a cycle he had waited and now he was coming back for her.

But she had failed, hadn't she? She'd have to do it again. "Right, so go back and wait more."

He didn't move.

She turned fully to face him and hissed. "Leave me alone, okay?! I can do this by myself!"

He peered out from where he'd been hiding and locked eyes with her, beady black against searing magenta. And the question that pressed from his mind to hers stopped her for a moment. Why? Why alone?

She stared at him, the question echoing in her brain for a bit, and her anger was slowly calmed without her notice, just his presence nearby grounding and comforting. He pressed further, assuring her that he would be nearby - he would not go in with her but stay outside. Close enough that she could feel him, but far enough so that he didn't interfere. She didn't need to do everything alone - there was always someone that wanted to support her.

She swallowed heavily and breathed out a shaky breath. She was still angry, but it felt more under control now, with his steadying thoughts to ease her. Maybe with him nearby, things would be different. Was that what she had been missing?

Still tense, but at least a little more relaxed then before, she turned and returned to the edge of Emuh's cave. "Emuh? I'm here - I want to try again!"

Build-A-Beast

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 21:29:06 -0500

Since the war, Azrael had been quietly planning. His future, here, was becoming more and more permanent. The bloodthirst of the creatures of chaos pleased him, as did their hatred of Order and, more importantly, Mother. He appreciated the darkness of the cave, as well, the strange void-light that was now like a home to him, and the strength of the creatures he now surrounded himself with.

Here would be the perfect place, he thought, to raise his own.

He remembered experiencing it once, with the white-feathered one - Banshy was its name. Seeing himself within it, his shape and magic, a part of him carried on...oh, that was wonderful. But it hadn't lasted long. It wasn't that he was disappointed in his spawn, but that it had simply not sown the kind of brutal nature that he deeply desired. It had been softer, more thoughtful, perhaps one day a healer. And he did not mind that - he was simply not one to teach it those ways.

Not a failure - nothing he did was a failure! - but a child that he had raised and had gone its own way.

But this one was going to be different. Brought up in the forge. Brought up in Chaos. Azrael admired the force that hung heavily in the cave and corrupted the magic of its inhabitants. While he, himself, had no desire to abandon his own magic for it, give up his many styles of bright flames and deep darknesses, he yearned to have a part of it.

And the plan had formed - perfect, of course. Who to be the other half would have to be one of Vargas's own. He would not ask the Master directly, no, he doubted he would be afforded that honor (and those words were disgusting to even think, that he should place himself beneath anybody else!), but his spawn had proven time and time again to be worthy.

What about one that had once defeated him?

He stood up from where he'd been brooding and made his way towards the side of the cave where he knew where the beast lived. "RUBY-BETA," he roared into the darkness.

Hitman

Sat, 22 Apr 2023 20:19:56 -0500

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas strode toward the heart of Draco, calling out in a bellowing voice, though his mind was very much elsewhere. "Overseer Cain?"

He'd waited, deliberately, before really planning. When he did this--if he did this, if Cain managed--he didn't want the dragons to suspect. It wasn't that he was afraid of them. He wasn't. It was, first, that Order would have likely let its guard down by now; and second, that there was no point in aggravating the dragon family when they were already willing (most of them, at least) to fight the forces of Order. And they would have suspected the Forge, had he acted right away--because he'd tried to talk to them about it. In retrospect, addressing Dread himself had probably been the worst possible choice, but Vargas did not know the others well enough to be sure. He'd tried to explain that the chrysalized diamond was infected, infested, with a terminal corruption: that Order had taken the white dragon, and that she would never be her own creature again. That she was controlled, manipulated.

To his credit, at least Dread had listened. And he'd seemed... disturbed, even mentioned almost mournfully that he'd been warned about something like this before, but hadn't understood (unsurprisingly). But in the end he was completely unwilling to actually harm his child, too bonded with her, too filled with pointless emotion. Dread's bottom line had essentially been to say that if Bone were happy, he was happy for her, regardless of all else. Foolish. She would be Dread's doom, if he were not careful--the moment Dontacael wished it, the dragon would infect the rest of them.

Vargas couldn't have that. He'd keep Order from them--protect them whether they liked it or not--and reuse the diamond for something other, something that would serve Chaos instead.

But... for that, he needed Cain. A direct assault would be unwise--the dragon could fly, and Ursa would be full of Praetors and the like that would scurry out to aid her. Better to strike unexpectedly, to end her before a battle had begun, and spirit her stone away before any of the Hive knew what had happened. He'd considered, too, the tunnel that led Ursa to Leo--but he'd discuss these details with his Overseer.

He had to leave some room for Cain to make its own decision, and he trusted it to do so. It had a good head on its shoulders, though Vargas did note with some trepidation that this would be its first true test.

"Overseer Cain," he called again, coming to a halt near the Black Spire.

With luck, Cain would be in earshot.

@Cain

Dawn

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 11:34:10 -0500

Rising sunlight (or.. rocklight?) reflected across smooth, geometrical surfaces. The large chrysalis was so void of color that it seemed to hold all of them, its edges blinding and uncomfortable to look at. Unsurprising considering the size of it, the crackle emitted from within was loud. There was no pause between the first crack and the ones that followed, splintering the entirety of the stone. Soon after, out came a hissing ball of wet fur and thrashing limbs. Contrary to where he came, Erohl was tiny and unassuming. He bounced up to his paws, tail waving with unrestrained, feral anger. 

The little marten was very much uncomfortable with this situation. If he knew any obscenities- or how to talk, for that matter- he'd probably be spewing them. Still, he managed to express this emotion through the nonstop hissing being expelled from deep within his chest. He came out hissing, and he'd probably go out the same way. Erohl took a quick second to glance around, what he saw becoming perfectly engrained in his mind. This site is now one he'd never forget. The way the light  had just begun to appear above his head, how it bounced off the ground and off the dampness he'd come from. The rodent sat with an audible squelch, and began licking his shoulder of the fluid, huffing with clear annoyance at the world. For being born, one could guess.

[SB23] A Hell Made of Little Inconveniences

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 01:20:51 -0500

miriam

After starting the ball off on the wrong foot, quite literally as she'd stumbled around on toes never before possessed of in heels which exacerbated their sudden existence, Miriam had hoped to push past such complications and enjoy taking advantage of the luxury she'd been invited to indulge in. Although her stomach's rare hunger pangs meant she had no reason to partake in the buffet available for guests, plenty of other amusements existed capable of staving off boredom, things that didn't necessarily require her to humiliate herself any more than the average inebriated partygoer. The live music, for one, could captivate her for hours if it were to play for that long. The possibility of dancing, too, appealed to the performer in her.

Unfortunately, neither were able to provide her the relief needed now: cleanliness for the nasty splotch marring golden silk.

Regardless of the amusement that had briefly tugged at her lips at the abrupt squeaks adding to the indignity of high heels—a stunt reminiscent of the shenanigans the Carnival imps loved so much to pull—the winged creature that seemed to be their host had flown over a line upon soiling the adornments magic had generously provided her. Putting aside the absurdity of giving her unnecessary appendages, she'd grown fond of the slide of this shiny fabric over her skin despite how little it protected her. Combined with the gorgeous blue pendant worn, she imagined it'd made her current bipedal self a rather striking figure if still inferior in beauty to her true appearance. To ruin the ensemble was irksome and simply unforgivable. Wasting precious time to salvage it bothered her even more so, the tedium a damper on the cheerful festivities.

Parked beside the food-laden table, Miriam rubbed a linen napkin over the stained material. No matter how furiously she scrubbed, the spot remained, mockingly dark compared to the rest of the dress.

"Absolutely damnable," she hissed. The sound betrayed the nature of the being lurking beneath the well-crafted illusion.

Birthright

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 13:21:03 -0500

Of the gemstones that had been hidden away in Shango's chosen crevice, this one--a dull cluster of unremarkable orange-red--would wind up with a child most incongruous to itself. The stone seemed to hint at something tawny and bold: something aggressive, maybe, or at the very least, brightly-colored.

But the shifting form behind the ever-thinner shell was hardly bold, and not at all red in color. The only thing this figure shared with its wulfenite was being unremarkable, dull in appearance.

Past the plateau of glowing crystals, hidden in the dark, this figure twisted feebly against its gemstone once again. Awareness was growing only gradually: for now, a dim recognition of self, a vague sense of wet and warm, a rising twist of comfort into claustrophobia.

When at last it felt too tight--when the stone had thinned, and fluid had begun to sift through emerging cracks--oversized paws pressed soft against the rock, and pushed.

alls fair in love and war

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 22:01:35 -0500

backdated to take place the same day as the Siege!

Cain wasn't especially familiar with Leo, which made this plan a bit... Dangerous. At least it knew better than to underestimate its opponent, regardless of what its words suggested. The dragon was huge, and fast, and clearly had powerful magic. Worse, this was her home.

Which meant they were on a somewhat level playing field, and it might not be able to get away as easily at it intended.

There was, of course, the alternative.

It was tempting to kill the dragon in self-defense, an excuse to show off its assassination skills now that it had drove her away from the others. It hungered to pry the stone from the dragon's corpse and remake it for the Forge.

... but no, that came at too great of a personal risk to itself. Master Vargas's lessons hummed in its ears, aggravatingly tempering its expectations. Goal number one was to survive, two was to escape without being followed, and three could be to hurt their enemy enough to take her out of commission for a bit. It needed to keep those priorities in order.

Its magic surged to life as it fled, filling its jaws with deadly venom. A dragon of her size would likely survive it-- poison worked better on smaller creatures-- but it could debilitate her in a pinch if things got messy. It was a safe call, and its confidence rose as it stole a peek behind itself to see how close she was on its tail.

@Asimona

ITERATIONS

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 12:55:25 -0500

The cave-dwelling hivemind would surge with the sensation that something omnipresent was with them, and it would experience the expansive and endless network of an overextending, greater hivemind: bigger than their moon, than their planet, than their solar system. And though they had won this war, they could feel numerous other battles tickling the edges of their minds. It was not just them, but even so, they were contained to the caves, and the moment of connection wavered.

A dark-skinned silhouette bloomed in their minds, seen from the countless other memories and eyes and senses of the greater hivemind: a graceful man, though his features were hard to make out, with a long, silky ponytail and flowing robes. He looked at them with two star-like eyes. Hands clasped with fingers laced together, slowly opening to extend palm-up. He did not smile.

"Well done," he said. "We grow."

There was a great disgust in the feeling of his presence as if he did not want to be in the caves, but at the same time, the feeling of pride swelled within them; and the greater hivemind disconnected. But their own hivemind was not without its prize. They learned—or remembered—how to create iterations of themselves: drone numbers with hyphens to depict the iteration, such as DRONE 003-2, or if they preferred designations, DESIGNATION-2.

Iteration
Medium Intensity Ordered. Users can upload their current memories to the hivemind once a cycle. During the chrysalis formation of a new drone, the hivemind may download the memories of a previous iteration to the replacement Neonate; this does not copy the personality or characteristics of the previous iteration, only the memories that have been uploaded. (The Hive Group-Specific Spell)

let me see your heart

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 18:00:31 -0500

(backdated about a week)

The amethyst statue stood as it had for many and many cycles. It was better here, in Orion. Where the crystals glittered on the ceiling above, where many passed from cave to cave. She'd picked up words and stories, seen faces and saw magic far and wide, and all from her eternal place upon the stone. She was not out in the open but rather just beneath a small overhang. Not quite a cave, out of sight, but at least protected from the little elements the caves provided. She was easy to see, all purple and gold, but not easy to sneak up on. She could see all in front of her and it was, after all, all she did - watch.

She watched as times changed, as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into cycles. She hibernated, maybe once or twice, short periods of rest between the tedium of life, but it always came back to this. Sitting on the rock. Peaceful. Watching. Waiting.

Amazing that she hadn't yet gone insane.

But, no, she was merely a hermit. And magic and travelers kept her entertained. It was enough, reading the stories of others, listening to their thoughts, and then mulling over them when they had gone. Taking time to remember everything, relive it all. It was her greatest gratitude that her memory was so perfect. A hindrance, perhaps, for an active one, who did not need to remember each hunt, each drink of water, but such a gift to someone who had nothing else but memories.

It had been a while, now, since someone had passed by, or since Pride had visited to talk to her. She quite missed him, but she understood he was busy. A kingdom to look after, the caves to protect. She was merely a watcher on the sidelines and she did not blame him if he forgot about her now and again. Still, she was ready for some more stimulation.

A common trick of hers, focusing on a small object - a pebble, usually, near some kind of edge - and just push it forward a bit so it fell, clattering. The sound echoed in the silence of Orion, announcing to all those nearby - somebody was here.

reaching out

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 00:55:02 -0500

Wilder remembered this place. Once upon a time there'd been a door here, sealed shut by strange magic. Lots of gembound had gathered to help, and she'd been one of them. She still remembered the pain like yesterday, a rebound of her magic streaking up her leg, burning her skin. She was still wary to cast fire magic ever again.

And...after that...

That was the last time she'd spoken with Aure. At least, the last time they'd really had any kind of conversation. And all she'd done was cry and moan and talk about how she wanted to die. That was...a long time ago. But Wilder was grown now, older and learned. Still, it held enough painful memories that she'd avoided this place.

But she needed to be stronger. It was long overdue that she continued her path forward, to become greater so that she could protect more people. Even if she didn't have many people close to her, even if they didn't know what she did for them, it was enough to help.

She approached the place where the door had once stood, Vaati a ways away, waiting by her old home for the trial to be done. She couldn't rely on his comforting presence now - this she had to do on her own.

She took a deep breath. "Emuh," she called out. "Are you there? I would like to take your trial."

Crystal

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 01:32:20 -0500

It is cold, where she hatches. That is the first thing she knows. When the moonstone at last breaks open and a little tuft of reddish-brown fur first peeks into the world, it feels the chill of the air. And then, as beady black eyes move around to face out of the crack, she sees white.

Not like a white light, but rather the reflection in all the mirrors. White, everywhere. White crystal and white fungus, peppering every surface of the cave, consuming the mirrored walls and floors, and creeping over the edge of the chrysalis.

She does not panic, eyes moving to look down over the edge of the crack. More fungus, stretching like cobwebs, coating each and every surface, even the stone that she was still encased in. Curiosity burned at her, the first feeling, the first emotion. She wished to know it, what it was supposed to be.

The eyes disappeared as she shifted in her chrysalis, almost gingerly pressing against the walls. The cracks stretched up and around, climbing the gemstone surface, and then she bucked her head once, horn stubs connecting and utterly shattering the moonstone.

She bleated with surprise as the walls of her cage fell down around her, falling back on her hindquarters, and along with the falling crystal came a blanket of white spores that settled on her fur like snow. She sneezed as it raced up her nostrils and a gray tongue flicked out to taste the bit that had gotten on her lips. Kinda gross.

Now fully freed, she looked around the cave, eyes wide and blinking. A little confused. She was...alone, for now. She felt like that was wrong. Was she supposed to do anything? She was awake and alive, she knew that much. But beyond that...she was lost.

[SB23] Tempting Fate

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 01:30:15 -0500

imp

Imp had been wandering the Ball, becoming progressively louder as more fizzy wine drinks somehow managed to find their way down his bizarrely human-looking gullet. Mostly, he'd been telling anyone who would listen--as loudly as he could--that he was the Palace's artist (pronounced 'arteeeest' with a ridiculous flourish), and grinning about how he LIVED HERE and WORKED HERE and was AETHRIL, the VALKHAND'S, chosen pick, and so forth.

That wasn't to say it was real arrogance. Imp didn't take anything seriously, least of all himself; there wasn't pride in it, not really. A happy sort of pride, maybe; loud and boisterous cheer. But it wasn't like he was trying to elevate himself above anybody else. He was just really happy, thrilled even, about the twists and turns his particular life had taken--and loved talking about it.

But the alcohol had gone just a little to his head, and his 'talking about it' had become obnoxious--very, very noticeable, from anywhere in the Ballroom. "And THAT ONE," he was practically shouting, gesturing with sloshing long-stemmed glass up at a painting of Farina lovingly covered in penises, "was one of my FIRST. It's terrible, right?!" he added, grinning.

He wasn't talking to anybody in particular--in fact, had no audience that he'd noticed--but that didn't seem to faze him.

Malpractice

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 21:16:19 -0500

Panya felt at ease. For once, her mind was actually quite still- there were no rapid thoughts, she was calm.. and she was contemplative. It had only been around a cycle since her hatching, if she remembered correctly, and she'd stuck with Bacchus for most of that time. He was a good teacher, sure, but one thing they'd yet to discuss in detail was magic.

The girl took a deep breath and plodded forward, toying with the warmth in her chest and around her ears. She felt it- it was less of a warmth, more of a... pressure?- as she had before, and this time she was much more determined to explore it. She recalled that first hunt, on the very day of her existence, with furrowed brows and a lash of her tail. It hadn't exactly worked.. but maybe it could now?

There it was! That feeling! When she took her next step, Panya quickly realized it was silent. She purred loudly, both from pride and fear she'd gone mute, and proceeded to romp around the river's banks with obvious ego... Aaand she lost it. After only a few seconds, her achievement dissolved into loud cracks of dead leaves and the mush of dirt underfoot.

[Hatch] Legacies and Lateness

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 20:19:56 -0500

Bacchus could be plenty patient, when he cared to be. Some of the most intriguing experiments could only have results seen with the passing of time, after all. One did not rush perfection.

Yet, some instinct told him that this child of his was late in hatching, and that grated on his nerves, this rude delay. So Bacchus was not lacking in patience, but he did not yet know whether this child of his deserved his patience.

His tail lashed in annoyance, purple gaze staring down the chrysalis made of topaz of similar color. He had begun to visit the chrysalis every day, often bringing Panya along. Still, all that happened was conversations with Panya, answering questions and such. No signs of any hatching.

Panya was delightful, it was true. She could undoubtedly be part of his legacy. But this chrysalis was not making a similarly good impression, even with it not having hatched yet. Surely this legacy of his should be prompt, after all the effort he had gone through for it.

@Omadios

[SB23] Bazinga

Sun, 02 Apr 2023 00:42:18 -0500

celandine

Celandine was a little terrified of all these new people. half of them had an air of mild annoyance to them and the other half seemed pretty intimidating.

She kinda wishes she had brought Samael with her, though.... she supposes there were invitations for a reason.

So she gravitated to the area with the most... well. color. the kids area. her eyes lit up a little bit at the sight of it, so currently she was sitting, knees to her chest, in the ballpit, with her new sunhat pulled to obscure the top of her face.

she didn't know what she expected, but hardly that it would be so crowded so soon.

she looked... not scared, per se, just nervous. apprehensive, anxious, etc. didn't help she didn't know how to talk to anyone quite yet, and even if she did, well...

the faint buzzing of invisible wings sounded behind her.

Venom

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 10:03:13 -0500

join this rat in his criminal preparations

The rat perched atop his Golden Charger, a serpent he still had yet to name. A thought had occurred to him, and--in the spirit of cooperation with The Organization--he had set about testing his new question: what does this serpent's venom do?

His first task, then, was to find a Lesser--and his second, to have his snake envenomate it. Preferably without immediately consuming it, which would be difficult to arrange; despite being mentally linked with him, the snake was not a thinking, feeling creature. Its entire existence seemed based on sitting quietly, then eating: either resting or hunting.

"Onward, then," he murmured, a gentle urge. It listened to him, at least. He'd proven correct, even when it doubted him--in avoiding danger, in securing prey--and so it had learned to trust his orders, even if they made no sense to its simple brain.

[SB23] The 2023 Spring Ball

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 09:12:33 -0500

2023 SPRING BALL

As you arrive at the Palace, you find its entry walkway adorned with ivory ribbons and lights, and sentry Hellswans—who have been attuned to the scents of those on the returned RSVP cards, and instructed to drive away any others—posed like statues with their wings outstretched and heads held high that welcome you up the steps and into the foyer, which is gallantly robed with white silk curtains dotted with string lights.

It is an incredibly magical feeling...

Tiny attendants—various creatures, some small birds and rabbits and mice—excitedly lead you through the equally dressed hallways until you arrive at a sitting parlor. There are several doors that lead to dressing rooms, and you are ushered into one, where here, the attendants take their leave. As the door closes behind you, it disappears; a new door appears on the opposite side, which you will open when you are ready. Before you is a mirror, it is fogged and your image is blurry. Scrawled onto its surface is a glowing message, and whether or not you can read it does not matter, its meaning is magically transcribed into your mind:

Welcome, welcome!
We are glad you could come!
Soon you will change,
A lot and a some!
Enjoy the ball,
and your brand-new bling!
At the end of it all,
you may keep one thing!

And a small footnote that reads very quickly in your head, almost too fast, and in a monotone voice that is more difficult to understand:

You may choose one accessory to keep after the ball, which will magically resize to your normal self. Everything else will be retained by the Palace. You are free to think of a custom accessory that you may find behind you. Remember that this is for fun, and there is zero tolerance for violence or mischief here in the Palace. Please enjoy your time here at the Spring Ball!

The fog on the mirror begins to dissipate and you see a stranger standing there!—no, wait!

THAT'S YOU!

You may now post to view your character's transformation using the below tag. It is suggested you use this tag instead of your normal table, it will make a table for you!
[SB23=charname] your post [/SB23]

Names should be lowercase, such as eleanora or v-opal-one, ex:
(* v-jasper-one and v-jasper-two are just v-jasper)
[SB23=v-opal-one] your post [/SB23]

If you'd prefer to redesign your transformation, use this code to overwrite the avatar space with a new avatar:
replace charname with your character's name in lowercase, ex:
.SB23-av#eleanora

[style] .SB23-av#charname {background-image: url('LINK') !important;} [/style]

You're strange and you're different but you're definitely... you!

You're ready to attend the ball now! As you step through the door and into the Grand Ballroom, you are met with the sweet aroma of colored flowers and white roses: the Ballroom itself is expansive, glittering with myriad fairy lights and ivory silks, ribbons, and bows. There is a large space for dancing; spaces for sitting; an area with toys for younger guests, including a ball pit (this was likely intended for any children attending, but nobody will bother to tell the Gembounds that); and scattered tables with chairs; there is a long table of food prepared by Chef Nedies and multiple gembounds, including cookies, stew, soups, meats, fish, various small handheld snacks and miscellaneous hors d'oeuvres; and at the head of the ballroom, situated under tall paned windows, a live orchestra cycling through beautiful music composed of string and wind instruments.

Your characters are transformed by powerful illusion magic for the duration of the Spring Ball. There are no posting rounds. You are free to create your own threads using the location "The Grand Ballroom" and the [SB23] tag before your thread title. Sometime during the Ball, we will make ONE Game Master post, but beyond that, your characters are free to enjoy the festivities!

@Vargas (Imp, Obieth) @Kalama (Pip, Oka) @Relic (Luna, V-Opal-One) @Wilder (Eleanora, Ruby-Beta) @Eden (Catalpa) @Lime @Fahl (Miriam, East) @Maw (Khavur, Catawampus) @Mossie (Peach Scone - as peachscone) @Sprig (Arquia, Comet) @Tourmaline @Paige (Faceless, Jim) @Elayne (V-Jasper, Raoshar) @Cadenza @V-Labradorite-One (Infinity) @Celandine

I don't have a warranty but the resell values great!

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 21:35:41 -0500

Bebby could hardly wait. she got her new magic AND a cool magic item. all she had to do was test them out!! she'd start with arguably the coolest one, the amulet.

she didn't exactly know how to make it work, she forgot to ask and frankly she hadnt thought that far ahead, but he said it gave light physical form, right??? she could kinda do that, make images with light, maybe its like. that but more??

worth a shot, atleast.

she sat in the middle of the meadow, so incase anything went wrong she didnt set anything on fire, he did say something about burning, and got herself ready.

with intense focus, and one paw on the pendant, she would attempt to will that familiar spell forward

nothing happened, her magic fizzling out. she huffed. cmon, wasn';t she supposed to be better at this?

Beastiarii

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:22:38 -0500

Before Galleon had gone to visit the Collector and see what all the hubbub was about, she took a short detour. Galleon pulled herself to the arena. Her arms sunk into the cool sand, and Galleon's eyes shuttered as she relaxed. She had many memories here. Some good, some...her thoughts trailed off as a memory reared its ugly head. Galleon subconsciously cringed as she remembered being disemboweled.

That had not been fun. Galleon did not want to relive that at any point. But until that point, it had been exciting. Heart pumping. Fun. She found herself... missing it. Galleon began to bury herself into the sand. Chasing that feeling. The cool sand pressed down on her from all angles. She remembered how it had felt to rush through the dusty arena sand. Galleon's eyes snapped open, and she raised her sail. Air was pushed in, and Galleon flexed her tail for the sprint.

one mans corpse is another cats treasure

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 00:23:46 -0500

It had been surprisingly easy to convince forgraves to let her do this.

he had mused, idly, about setting up his own shop, but she was more interested in the magic items that were promised. she didn't think she could do much with her own stone again yet, but finding some shouldn't be too hard, right?? people look for stones like that all the time, just. usually for nicer reasons.

Forgraves had been against it, at first, but after a bit of convincing, he relented, although mostly in defeat. they weren't doing anything anyways, all lost like that, and there was a surplus to go around. either she'd get to em and give em to the collector, or it'd probably be another few thousand years before they ever saw the light of day.

that's the thing with rocks, she supposes.

so, out here she looks for rocks, rocks with strong magic. it can't be a lesser, even if that wasn't made atleast a little obvious by the sign, she figured nobody would want one of those anyway for actual magic.

how would she tell the difference? well, by unlocking a new magic spell of course! this seemed to be her specialty.

she would look around for anything that didn't feel stupidly weak. anything stronger would be what she wanted. hopefully, she wouldn't be here all day.