CaliforniaState

The Spirits Within/Aeon

<Snipped quote by Salsa Verde>

That would be something, wouldn't it? The team defeats him, Mia has a mental breakdown, turns on the group and becomes the last boss. I had that as a plot thing for one of the past iterations of this game. I thought I'd go with something else this time, though.

@Prisk

Mm and she transforms into an actual mythological bird creature. I think him and her took pet names a little too far.

The Spirits Within/Aeon

I didn’t say it earlier, but of course he is played by Chris Hemsworth. Can’t wait for Garuda to get over him unless he dies in her arms or something haha jk…unless?

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

There was always a stillness, devoid of sound and activity that lingered in the comfort of night, at least in the halls of Garreg Mach. Perhaps that’s why Aileas felt at ease, no one to bother her, no thoughts of what may happen to her house depending on the state of politics within the country. She sat her desk chair in front of the window and just watched on as droves of clouds formed and broke apart over the moon unable to penetrate the thick clouds. The window had been cracked a bit letting cool air rustle the trees and leaves outside, but also the bumps on her skin from the cold. She almost reveled in it. No amount of flipping, push ups nor tea could seem to put her mind to rest. Rampant in nature, it was in a flux of wondering what her future at the Monastery held. She knew it was a tradition, more so an honor to be there as not many others are offered the opportunity. Sleep eluding her, she would pace in her room, clean what little mess she had made from days previous, even had enough time to get a stretch in without the hint of dawn breaking on the horizon. With the moon only moving narrowly since her last check she stopped to think how the other two were doing. Despite the prospect of being in ‘rival’ houses it was still nice to think they had shared a spec of comradery before they transition here.

Still, the night felt long and she was no more fatigued than an hour ago. An idea filled her head and was the only option she could see making sense. Changing out of her nightwear she slipped something more comfortable on before slipping outside of her room. The courtyard was also quiet, there was no chirping of birds or discourse between guards. All the student and faculty were probably already asleep in their quarters. Looking around to make sure there were no prying eyes around she pressed on through the monastery, still remembering the layout from the tour. Quickly and quietly she made it to the wooden doors that house the training grounds just beyond. Grabbing the circular iron she tugged slowly until the door bugged open enough for her to squeeze inside. Her head popped out glaring around for one more patrol before shutting the doors behind her. It was dark, but luckily there was no roof, allowing the moonlight to bathe the training ground with just enough light she could make out the training dummy’s made of hay abound to a wooden cross. Her fingers lingered, brushing over countless wooden weapons that were tucked neatly in a rack.

Pretty soon she would have use of her own lance, but for now she had to settle on one of the wooden ones. She slightly hesitated when her eyes peeped the sword right next to it, but that was for another time with a more experienced teacher than the stationary lifeless ones behind her. She heard that there were sparring tournaments held here every once awhile during the semester, the thought alone was enough to shred whatever chance of sleep she thought she would get. Picking up the lance she spun it gracefully in front, behind, overhead, and even below with the aid of some acrobatics to sweep her feet upwards away from the blow. Pulling the straps around her hair buns tighter she attacked the dummies with some degree of control as to not let the crash of bludgeoned wood reverb through the monastery. With each strike and jab a soft shout rung out from her throat. Having to pull her blows was more work than she thought. Working up a sweat was just what she needed to put her rapid heart to rest. At this point the moon had begun its retreat and lowered from above, no longer providing her ample light.

Taking note of the sun on her tail she slipped out of the arena and back to her dorm. She didn’t know if it was too late to shower or not, but she went ahead anyways and relaxed under the stream of ice cold water. Finally setting her head to her pillow she drifted off into sleep, only to be awoken by the sixth bell. Aileas was no stranger to the consequence of her actions and today would be no different, she was built for little sleep, in her mind she functioned better with less than more. Her stomach growled in hopes that she would not have forgotten to feed her since the previous morning, lest she was late for her first day of class. Thankfully her sleep deprived past self so wistfully ensured she had everything right on hand to get ready. Rushing out her dorm she headed to the cafeteria with the advent of the seventh bell. Tunnel visioned she missed the exodus of students leaving the cafeteria surely headed to the Blue Lions classroom, one she knew to be just as green as she.

The smell of fresh danishes caressed her nostrils inviting her to the front. Most of the pastries were gone leaving only few option. “Sorry dear, looks like we only have cheese left” the patron said already knowing Aileas was there for breakfast, the saliva moistening her lips was just another not so subtle hint. “That’s okay! Cheese is my favorite, I’ll take 5 thank you!” She said eagerly, while the kind lady was both impressed and confused at her request. Aileas stuffed one danish in her mouth while she juggled the other four on her way to the classroom. Entering the halls she punched a second danish down her mouth hardly able to breathe between swallows and puffs of air from speed walking. Rounding the corner she passed the classroom entrance, realizing, then pivoting her foot to pirouette back to the doors. “Mrnin Prufser” she mumbled attempting not to be rude halfway through chewing her food. She worked her way to the middle of the room and sat, finally able to breathe clearly. “And Good Morning to you too Professor Tomai!” Today was going to be a good day, at least she declared it so.

O R I F L A M M E

Ulfhild Ulven

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Interacting with: Hrothgar @Force and Fury
Opportunity: Eskand-aligned Players - Potential travellers that have seen Ulfhild entering Hrothgar’s council. And on the same boat for the siege.

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Event: Siege of RelouseLocation: Cape of Redame

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Two weeks prior:

The air was ice cold in the early mornings wake on the tundra known as Eskand. While most foreigners would have a haggard look about them from the blood in their lungs turning to ice, Ulfhild’s breathing was steady and almost non existent. This was absolutely necessary when being both of Eskandr blood and the pride of being a ranger. The crunching of snow under toe was kept to a minimum, as if she were passing through the soft epidermis like a snow shoed hare. She had been tracking the beast for days now. Tracks scattered from constant bellowing of winds followed by a snowstorm to make said tracks invisible, scat turned frozen unable to tell how fresh the droppings really were, it was all giving her nothing to go off of besides intuition and instinct. Her magic was powerless in the face of this crucible, but she was not ready to give up. She had been leaving traps for smaller mammals scattered around the area. Some still had animals trapped within when she arrived and others were simply remnants of what could be discerned of what once was an animal.

There was a trend to the hunting trails this beast was using to eat in preparation for the hibernation of winter. Cloaked in what shadow she could find in the series of dead trees, she followed the carcasses and carrion to what appeared to be the mouth of a cave. There was countless bones scattered across, littering the entrance and the walls of the cave. A snap of her fingers brought to life the breath of fire that jumped quickly to the tip of an arrow she had retrieved from her quiver. The arrow serving as a lamp aided in the illumination of the dark cave as she trudged on. The smell was a bit thick, betwixt the smell of blood that was new and rotten and the pheromones of what she thought to be a female. This only reinforced when she was greeted with a litter of cubs sleeping at the foot of her boot. Ulfhild was too slow off the jump to turn her pseudo-torch off when she awoke the sleeping cubs. Frozen like the wind outside she stood realizing her mistake. The cubs also in awe of both the fire and the towering predator, cried in alert to their mother. She must have been close if they were calling with such shallowness.

Ulfhild flicked the fire off her arrow and knocked it onto her bow, racing for the tiny circle of light that was expanding into the exit. Once outside she felt the swipe of something likely four times the size as she. The blow to her side was enough to force all the air out of her lungs and send her flying into the fresh snow adjacent to the cave. Mother bear was angry and roaring angrily that the flaps of her lips wavered in the display of ferocity and jagged teeth. Coughing just as loudly, Ulfhild rose to her feet giving her lungs no chance for reprieve as she barreled off in search of the bow that was forced from her hand. The bear with no warning gave chance to Ulfhild in double the speed. Knowing she had no chance of outrunning nor out climbing the bear, she resorted to her arcane magic to give her time to find a moment to gather herself. A dazzling spark of light rose into the air before the bear before exploding into a wave of blinding light. Ulfhild covered her eyes with her forearm before finding the shadow of her bow. Rolling into the bow and planting her knee deeply for stability she knocked three arrows that were set ablaze.

The bear rushed through the light only to be met with three arrows lodging themselves deep into her skull. Though this wasn’t enough as she charged Ulfhild knocking her back once more. Her fur began to turn red with embers erupting all over. Still the pain was second to her will to protect her children. Ulfhild retired her bow and retrieved the silver from her waist. Once more the bear charged Ulfhild, with only one chance to land a deciding blow for both parties, Ulfhild waited until the last moment to slide beneath the bear, plunging her wolf’s fang in the soft flesh of her gut as the bear charged and consequently disemboweled itself. Her own blood trickled down her face and body from injuries unaccounted for. A scream echoed through the wilds showing her triumph over the hunt once more. Her legs carried her to the defeated hunt where she would stop to pray to her gods and for the bear who gave its life to her so valiantly in defense of her kin. The rest of the day would be spent skinning for what she could salvage from the charred hide and packing the rest onto her sled that was a ways away. Ulfhild simply turned once more to look at the cave hoping the cubs could survive the winter, praying for them then setting off.

Upon arrival to her home she was confused at the greeting of laughter and merriment. While there were times where they would have song and mead, those events were typically reserved for celebrations of their gods or the successful raids of Quentic lands. A bit annoyed that she wasn’t privy to this knowledge and the bath she so desperately needed, she sough to confront her father. Instead before she could make it even a meter from the entrance she was met by two very inebriated brothers she had the pleasure of sharing blood with. “Arvid, Haldor, what is the meaning of this?” The two brothers who were practically twins, born just minutes within each other, were conjoined at the hip. Arms half wrapped around each other while they swayed back and forth spilling mead from their goblets all over themselves while singing some old folk song. “You two reek of piss and mead, now answer me before I stack both of you onto this hunt of mine.”

The song stopped with a frown, “Uufhill-da, you made i-“ Arvid burped, “it sister, huwhy so grim?” Haldor finished.

“Father didn’t speak of this to me before I left. Get out of my way you two and give me that” she scoffed, parting Arvid from his mead. She took a swig, spat it out, and threw the goblet behind her. She left the remains of the bear on her sled with confidence that her clansmen in the longphiurt would know no one else would be daring enough to attempt such a feat. She entered the longhouse where she was greeted by ravenous cheers at her arrival, with her father at the helm. There were assorted fruits, meats, and cheeses surrounding the table with an overflowing amount of mead.

“Welcome home Ulfhild! How did the hunt go?”

“Sloppy, if my ragged vestments couldn’t tell you otherwise. Now what is going on?”

“Oh my child, Brother and Father have brought us good news. Hrothgar has called for war and is calling upon all of Eskand to support him.”

She was a bit taken aback, she knew of Hrothgar, but never expected him to call upon them and their small village. “And what did you say?”

“I said yes of course, your brothers were the first to volunteer and they will make me and the Gods proud.”

“You can’t expect me to stay here. I will fight for glory alongside them.”

“Father’s hammer of course!” He erupted with boisterous laughter, berry juice staining his beard a dark red. “I expect you and Sister to watch over them. You know they aren’t as smart as you.”

Her father’s consignment put her at ease and let her tense body ease, allowing for the pain of her battle to seep in. Her legs buckled under her, forcing her to sit alongside her father with an attempt to gather herself. One deep breath pushed her back up and toward her room where she would rest a good while.

Later that night after sharing in the festivities, bathing in the nearby lake, and tending to her wounds she had made it to a nearby temple that their clan had erected. She lay flowers in front of the statue of sister while she gripped Father’s hammer and her wolf totem in hopes her gods would hear her prayers and give her the strength to fulfill her role in the ensuing battle, along with the protection for her brothers. Statue after statue she prayed to the five gods before leaving and preparing for the journey ahead.

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The Feast before War

Ulfhild would have been delighted to take part in the feast, but her priorities eschewed her from them. The mead was good and the food even better, but while her brothers feasted she wanted to speak to Hrothgar himself. For a man she was about to risk her life for and the change of having glory, she wanted to speak to him first. If the legends were true he was a man considerable of the title and the armor that came with it. Perhaps she was being too critical or too used to ensuring that her plans were fleshed out with an inclusion of a contingency. She intruded in his planning, not before knocking of course, “Hrothgar, I am Ulfhild Ulven daughter of Ulfbjørn Ulven. I believe I could be of use to you in the upcoming battle” she said with a slight touch of pride, some might say arrogance.

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Drums of War

There was a tinge of excitement, half of her still wondering if this was real and the other half beginning to grow anxious. She had her fair share of excursions and raid’s but nothing compared to the grandeur presented before her. The air was thick was black smoke, to the point it felt intentional, like the spirit of Hrothgar was watching over his encampment. Banners of every sort with mascot a plenty flew across the fjord, some which she had never seen nor heard of. It’s what happens when you’re tucked away in your own hamlet thinking you knew the world. Her brothers didn’t share the same sentiment, the allure of etching your name in chronicles and legends was too great for any other point of reason and logic to enter and for that she was grateful. Arvid and Haldor were just a small representation of the war parties present. Hrothgar finally emerged, true to his name, dawned in all black armor.

The waters seemed to calm almost instantly in wake of his voice. Everyone was silent, losing themselves in the conviction of his speech. The crescendo of his voice delivered the besmirching of their enemies that rallied the troops in their wooden seats. And there it was, the finale and the promise of Grønhalle. While the others cheered she stretched her vision to the steady approach and appearance of Cape Redame, most likely protected by men of Parrench. She grabbed her hammer necklace once more before steeling herself for the battle to come.

Discontinued

I’m sorry to hear that your experiencing so many issues with your home! Hope everything works out for you. @Mao Mao

The Spirits Within/Aeon

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EUN-JI "AMANITA" PARK — FARHAVEN [Train Car] — 07:40AM — @Prisk@DeadDrop Amanita had met a many of Votara citizens as her time as a child, mostly interactions that dealt with her leaving her trade with goodies by the benevolent people. A candy here, a few extra credits there, it was mostly due to the fact that everyone was in the same precarious position. She was half tempted to press more on her background to see if they were any more similarities in regard to each other. Her hands did feel rough from her handshake, whether that was due to the excessive training she must endure to be an elite of the warfare division or the callouses from farming that never seem to grow into fresh skin. Either way she was more than happy to do away with the always awkward, sometimes necessary, first impressions and pleasantries. Her hand recoiled back to her wool shirt as she wiped her damp hands in a less than graceful fashion. This was much harsher than defending her doctoral thesis. “I’d love to know more about Votara, It’s been too long since I’ve been.” And since she’s been home, but she would stifle that topic for later. The mysterious man brooding solemnly next to them finally entertained her existence, after all she was talking off Garuda’s ear. Rob, rob, where had she heard that name before? She searched the annals and rows of knowledge she kept tucked neatly in what felt like bookshelves in her brain. Each carefully marked with a letter followed by a short number sequence. Maybe her organization was another spirit of its own and helped her increase her brilliance. Feeling a mixture of exhaustion from the morning and sloth in terms of searching she snapped back to the conversation. It didn’t matter at the moment as she could read the rest of the dossiers later or wait for the long awaited mission briefing at central base. All that mattered was the carcinogen in his hand that waited in response. Eun-Ji often had an issue with coming off as rude when she just felt she was being forward. Nervous on whether she was going to leave a bad impression from the start by saying something more loquacious than not, she hesitated for a second before Garuda graciously interrupted and spoke for her. “I appreciate the offer, Rob. I’m Eun-Ji as you probably overheard. Nice to meet you, nice jacket, is it real leather?” The trio found themselves seated for the rest of the train ride into the final station. The sound of a hole puncher clicking away swept through the aisle of the train until the conductor came, clipped their tickets, and left a receipt tucked in the small iron divot above the headrest of the seat. “Uhm good question, no, this would be the first time I work in a group of Aeons if that’s what you mean? Normally ResDiv is just you by yourself wondering what the outside looks like and if there will be sun left by the time you get out. I do work together with the custodial staff to make sure things are easier on their end. I wouldn’t mind collaborating my research with others, especially Belladonna if you’ve heard of her, but my approach is much different in regards to the Stigma.” Eun-ji shrugged and then realized she had been blabbering again when she caught the gaze of Emilia. Hoping to detract she fiddled around in her bag pulling out three tiny glasses and a green bottle with characters from her mother tongue, Shugeul. “I know I said no to your death sticks, but what about a drink?” The two would probably still be captivated that she had all that in her small bag, even more why she would have such a thing and multiple glasses in her bag. “Drinking tastes better in the company of others and we have four hours so why not, breakfast is coming soon anyways.” Without waiting for a response she cracked the seal from the screwable cap open and poured the clear liquid into three glasses and distributed amongst her peers. “This is 혼(hon), otherwise known as hon or ghost here. Since we occupy the realm of spirits and spirit is also used to describe alcohol our people went with the next best thing, Ghost. So what are we cheering to?” She said with a raised glass.

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L O R E

• Shugeul is the national written language of Goryeo, this is where their alphabet is derived. The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs used to pronounce them, and they are systematically modified to indicate phonetic features; similarly, the vowel letters are systematically modified for related sounds, often dubbed as a syllabic alphabet. It’s gone through a number of reconstructions from feudal periods up until the present. This is not be mistaken with the spoken language which is known as Goryeon.
• 혼 (hon) has many a definition but one localized for the use of the alcohol is Ghost. Hon is an alcohol that is made from starches that range from the traditional rice, wheat, barely, to the more non traditional with sweet potato or potato. It is widely distributed and integral to their drinking society as the drink is smooth and despite the alcohol content, missing in the bitterness exhibited by others. It also comes in many fun flavors, but Eun-Jim favorite is of the sour variety.

The Spirits Within/Aeon

Everyone’s life has been so negatively impacted before and after the comet and Eun-ji is over here just living her best life. I almost feel guilty for writing her like that.

The Spirits Within/Aeon

@Siber
Glad you're still with us! You seem to be a busy bee all over the forum in different games. That's nice to see.

@Prisk

Excuse me ma’am are you stalking?

The Spirits Within/Aeon