Dark Light

Realms of Sun & Shadow

Valgo

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Stables -> Tavern

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Tidying up the last of his jobs, Valgo took one last look over the stables ensuring everything was in order before turning to leave. Sensing the direction they were heading, Rogh was near silent as he launch himself off the tribesman's shoulder and flew out into the open air.
Following the hawk, Valgo pause to pet one of the horses in passing and then he was out on the road again.

It wasn't too much later that his large hand was pressing against the wooden door of the tavern. Even from the outside he could feel the warmth from with in permeating through. With a slow gentle shove the door groan as it repeat its tedious repetitious motion and open. Valgo was instantly hit by the noise and commotion of the inn. He was not a big fan of the dense busy space, too many people, too unpredictable, but he [i]had[i] come to enjoy the beverages he could trade their coins for.

The concept of currency was still somewhat new to him although having used it now for a couple of years now he still found it all back to front. It gave weak men more and bent strong men to the mercy of their lessors. It allowed babes to starve while those with much orchestrated meaningless offerings to themselves. As wrong and messed up as it was, it was the world he was a part of now. Entering the establishment, the floor complaining under his every heavy step, he cross the room as he dig into his pocket searching for said coins.

He was halfway to the counter, doing a good job of ignoring those around him, when a figure suddenly caught his attention. A young man sitting alone in what the 'civilised' people probably considered fashionable clothing. He was drawn to this Lunarian not because he had seen the man before but because he had been told of his description in detail. Redirecting his path to the young man's table he stood over it and gesture to him with his chin.
"You Desmond Warren?"
He ask in his gruff foreign accent. The words sounding like they were going through a grinder on the way out of his mouth.

A new guild

"Didn't ya here?" The one at the front croaks in reply. "This 'ere belongs to the Timbermaw guild now. Out with ya unless ya want trouble!"
His stocky friend to the side chuckles. "Run along little messengers."
Almost as one, they take a menacing step closer.

Galen's our burst was not yet over, his breath momentarily taken by the shock of the situation. Old Al was tugging at his fine clothes trying to sit the infuriated noble down to no avail.

Realms of Sun & Shadow

Aliseth

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Eastern hate -> Town Centre

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Aliseth didn't linger at the camp much longer he had to, torch still in hand he turned to the same door guard as before, catching his gaze. "Do you have something to say soldier?" He challenges the young man as he steps closer. Beneath the man's gaze Aliseth wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the guards sword.
"Good." He reply when the soldier didn't.

"Now, I'll be taking this." The slice of drawn steel wrung out as Aliseth drew the door guards sword and re-sheathed it into his own empty scabbard. "Should you want your sword, you can find in near the bloody ice sculpture left on the road to the temple." With that, he pat the guard on the shoulder and turn to walk away. Despite not feeling it, he strode confidently through the camp and onto the path back towards town.

It felt good to have a weapon on his hip once again and the solitude of his walk did his mind some good as he ran through the events past. It took a while to put Nesna's insolence to rest. The thought of that rot-walker causing his blood to boil. Trying to act like she was still nobility and not the freak of nature his eyes laid upon. Thinking herself untouchable. His only solace was in knowing patience was all he needed and one day he would have the upper hand. Burying her from the thoughts of his mind he focused on actual nobility. One who deserved reverence and respect. One who looked the part.

No matter how he lay it out, his next task needed to be finding the princess. The captains threat linger in his mind. He knew she was safe, she had to be. He just had to find her. By now there was the chance she was already found. Lord Coswain was already tracking her after all not to mention that babbling noble who ran off. That left his thoughts to fall back on the priestess who was far too familiar with and comfortable around the dead. He would like to question her more later. For now, he was going back to the very beginning, back to the location in the town square where it all began.

Aliseth was sure to clean off any more dried blood that might be still clinging to him before returning to the festivities. His torch lighting his way, a constant illumination added to the pathways sporadic lanterns. Before he saw it he heard it. The continued festivities. He was surprised to see them still going just as before, all blissfully unaware of the murder that happened not too far away. Looking around he spotted the odd guard or two, but no one he recognised. He gave the odd nod in passing, trying to find a balance between looking friendly and busy. Avoiding the fires he follow his stomach and gaze over the food table. Not one for sweets he took the last and deliberately avoided undercooked rabbit haunch. He stared at the unappetising chunk of meat for a moment before biting into it as he moved on. It had been a good while since he ate last and even longer since he got to sit down and enjoy a meal. It felt like he was always eating on the go. Life was so busy and demanding as of late. Even all the way out here. Especially out here.

He took his rabbit and went and sat where the princess once sat. Finding the same spot still left unoccupied since their departure. He still held memories of that although a bit distorted. It all felt like so long ago already. He let his thoughts drift back to that time and consume him as he mindlessly consume his meal.

Realms of Sun & Shadow

@The Muse

Just did it for curiosities sake. I think it did a pretty good job.
Thats also credit to your write up.

Realms of Sun & Shadow

Is there room for another player?
Not myself but chatgtp

Lirael, a character 100% made by chat gtp after giving it the opening ooc post

Name:

Lirael Mornhaven

Age:

27

Appearance:

Lirael has a gaunt, ethereal beauty that seems to linger between life and death. Her pale complexion bears faint blue undertones, a mark of her Lunarian lineage. Long, silvery-white hair cascades down her back in loose waves, and her piercing violet eyes have a faint glow in darkness, an unsettling result of her blight-born transformation. She moves with an eerie grace, her form clad in dark leathers and silken robes, functional for both movement and combat. A small, crescent-shaped tattoo graces her collarbone—a tribute to Seluna, Goddess of the Moon.

Race:

Blight-Born

Blight-Born Traits:

Draining Ability: Emotional Drainer
Lirael feeds on strong emotions—fear, anger, passion, or sorrow—leaving victims physically exhausted and emotionally numb for a time. This can be fatal if she loses control or overfeeds, though she often refrains from draining humans directly.

Strengths:

Enhanced Reflexes: Lirael's speed and agility are far beyond that of ordinary humans, making her incredibly difficult to strike in combat.

Shadowmeld: She can merge into shadows, becoming near-invisible in dim light for short durations.

Emotion Sense: Lirael can sense the emotional state of those nearby, allowing her to detect lies, fear, or hidden intentions.

Weaknesses:

Blinding Light: Prolonged exposure to bright, magical light weakens her significantly, leaving her vulnerable and drained.

Emotional Instability: Feeding on emotions risks overwhelming her with the feelings of others, leading to confusion or temporary loss of control.

Cold Dependency: While resistant to blight's poison, she grows sluggish and weaker in warmer climates, unable to endure heat for long.

Kingdom:

Lunaris

Role:

Sage & Emotional Alchemist
Lirael is a researcher summoned to Dawnhaven for her expertise in blight studies and experimental emotional alchemy—a volatile practice that draws magic from emotions to create potions or spells. Her unique perspective as a blight-born has proven both invaluable and controversial.

Magic:

Specialization: Dark Magic & Psychic Magic
Lirael's Lunarian heritage makes her adept at dark magic, which she uses to manipulate shadows and ward off the blight. Her psychic abilities manifest in mild telekinesis, dream manipulation, and emotional alchemy—the process of distilling raw emotions into potent magical energy or elixirs.

Example Spells:

Shadow Bind: Summons dark tendrils to immobilize enemies temporarily.

Dreamwalk: Enters the dreams of others to communicate or uncover secrets.

Emotion Distill: Extracts emotions from living beings or blight-born creatures to infuse magical tools, elixirs, or wards.

Short Bio:

Once a scholar of Lunaris' mountain archives, Lirael was renowned for her brilliant mind and unyielding determination to uncover the mysteries of the blight. During an expedition to a heavily afflicted region, she was exposed to the deadly miasma. Her team perished, and for days, she lay dying. When she arose, she had become blight-born.

Reviled as a monster upon her return, Lirael was hunted and forced to flee her homeland. Determined to turn her curse into a blessing, she sought out the Prince and Princess of Dawnhaven, offering her knowledge and blight-altered abilities to aid in the settlement's survival. Though some distrust her, her findings have already helped delay the blight's spread near Dawnhaven. Lirael remains fiercely loyal to the colony—both as penance for her perceived sins and as a desperate hope to reclaim her humanity.

Misc:

Lirael keeps a journal detailing her observations of the blight and her research into blight-born physiology.

She has a small raven familiar named "Nyx," who often scouts for her and serves as a calming presence.

Despite her strength, Lirael longs for acceptance and fears losing control of her darker instincts, avoiding close emotional bonds whenever possible.

Realms of Sun & Shadow

Valgo

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Eastern gate -> Stables @Dezuel Anora @BlackRoseSiren Aurora

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As the guards walked off with the new blight-born, Valgo too was already on his way down the path, sinking into his memories once again.

continued memories

Valgo had started moving across the snow, he was only a few steps in when the distant town vanished before him. A wall of white sweeping across his vision making it appear as the ground was only a few feet away from his face.
But no matter how many steps he took, the sudden white wall continued to remain just out of his reach. He twist his head to gaze at the Völva steadily racing along the snow beside him.

By the spirits passed if she wasn't the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes upon. Her writhe nimble figure clad in furs but still defying the cold with patches of bare smooth skin exposed to the elements. Long braids of fiery hair hung behind her head adorned with small animal skulls and iron clips. Her slender neck bore a necklace of long bones and coloured stones.

Her face held fierce green eyes accentuated by the dark paint smeared from ear to ear, brow to cheek bone. Beneath and above it sat her unhidden freckles. Sharp deliberate lines were painted vertically down the centre of her soft full lips and followed over her chin and down her neck line leading his gaze.

She moved with elegant grace compared to his heavy stomping, silently catching up with and keeping beside him. One arm and hand outstretched before her holding up the illusion that concealed them all. Elegance and power. Confidence and control. She was everything his other mates were not yet she, as the clans witch, remain off limits, untouchable.

She was powerful. Magic like hers and even his had rules, it had laws that govern it. It was a practiced art of dedication and will. What the blight creatures used, the gifted chosen ones. It was something else all together. Lawless.
Unbridled, unrestricted powers that made no sense. Abilities beyond comprehension and reason. There was no explaining or understanding them. Valgo didn't like it but also couldn't deny it. Without their gifts, this important raid would be a suicide mission.

The familiar squawk of a sparrow hawk pulled Valgo from his deep revelry as he approached the towns stables. The bird fluttered it's wings as it brought itself to land on his wide shoulder. He grimace, turning his face away from the beating feathers until the predatory creature settled. A faint smile grew in the corner of Valgo's lips.

"Are da horses safe Rogh?" he asks softly in his deep, rough tribesman's accent as he crosses his hand over his body to scratch the birds neck. Now back in the real world he was aware of the presence of others, two in particular being near one of the horses. They seemed quite enamoured in their conversation and were causing no further trouble than to ruin his slolitude. The towering barbarian narrow his eyes and watch them for a moment, hawk sitting obediently on his shoulder twisting its head to and fro. With a soft grunt in the form of a sharp exhale, Valgo made his way to walk past the duo as he head further into the stables. There was still work to do.

Realms of Sun & Shadow

@enmuni@The Muse

Aliseth

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Eastern gate

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Aliseth finally took his gaze off of the blight-born, snapping his head towards Zeph in response. He just hoped his silence, pursed lips and faint glare projected the 'shut up we will talk later' message he was trying to convey. After a moment he decided to use his words after all. "It is being done." He assured his comrade. "Now lead the way." And with that he nod his head urging the other guard on.

He really wished he could access more of his memories. Oh how he yearned for the information that eluded him. He didn't have the answers for this current situation, only a 'gut-feel' and instincts to go off. He was surrounded by strangers and didn't know who he could trust. He knew that he should at least know the name of this other guard but for his life he couldn't recall it. With the enemy just as much a stranger to him and out there somewhere, he had to be careful who he confided in.

Putting those thoughts away for now Aliseth put his eyes back on Nesna, examining her once again as he circle around her, noting special attention to her ears and horns as he pass, getting a good solid look at her wings and long hair.
"If you have any weapons on you please kindly hand them to my friend for safe keeping while we chat." He instruct, tone amicable but at the same time telling her that he wasn't messing around. From behind the blight-born he tries to catch Zeph's attention again as he gestures towards the location of the blood stain he noticed on her clothing.

She was a curious creature indeed. So many questions formed in his mind, 'could she fly, how was she changed, what did she eat,' but there was not enough curiosity to overcome his deep disdain for her type. She was a physical representation of what he disliked most about them. Proof that they were no longer human but monsters. Unnatural beings. But as he looked her over, he couldn't hold his gaze from taking in her shape, her curves.
He shook his head, took a breath and began walking.

"C'mon, let's go. Lets try to make this quick."

Realms of Sun & Shadow

@enmuni@The Muse

Valgo

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Eastern gate

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With his back to the wood he continued to nonchalantly peek around the wall at the new arrival. He only look away to stare down a young runner coming back without his torch. No words were exchanged as he pass. Turning back, torchlight now banished the shadows that once hid details of the blight-born. As the guard with a torch move aside to study the creature, Valgo to could finally examine her. Near instantly he was transported back to another time.

Four years earlier

@SkeankySnack
Wilds of Lunaris

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The leather bound shaft of a crude spear let out a whining squeak under the viscous white-knuckled grip of its powerful wielder. In one hand the weapon was held upright, it's butt dug into into the cold snow that blanket the earth and its sharp stone point directed at the moonless sky above, the stars concealed behind a thick canopy of trees. All around the silent warrior more spears were held in similar fashion. The air filled with an eager and violent anticipation.

In the other hand a loop of string was held. From that string hung a hand crafted pendant. There was no mastery in its craft, simple and crude construction of various materials, but that is where its value lie. With a silent prayer the particularly large barbarian tuck the treasure away in his belt and then peer out around the last tree.

He could not wait much longer. The cold was starting to seep into his and his peoples bones. Fingers were growing numb, muscles tightening. Not ideal conditions to be fighting in. His deep blue eyes ran over the vast snow covered clearing and across the frozen body of water to the distant torch lit village beyond. He search desperately for the sign. Waiting for that indicator, that marker. Confirmation that it was time to go.

Standing there in silence, pressed against a wooden tree, peering around and focusing all his senses on the distant target, he saw it. Above the town just beyond where the torch light reached, a shadowy form blocked the stars behind it. He could not see them but knew the creature had large dark wings and could tell they were flapping by the way the stars beside it flicker in and out of existence.

Instantly a bird whistle left his pressed lips and then, without checking on the others, he was moving.

Blinking himself back to the current moment, he saw no signs of concern. The gnawing pit in his stomach, the feverish fears, the anxiety of dreaded anticipation, all proved unwarranted. Letting out a deep sigh he regain his composure and stood tall, looking back one last time before walking off back towards town.

Realms of Sun & Shadow

@enmuni@The Muse

Aliseth

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Eastern gate

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If Aliseth was startled by the sudden voice of the second guards, he did well to hide it. Keeping his focus on the blightborn ahead, eyes glued to those four glowing slits of lavender in her face. Unlike anything he had ever seen before. How she could see or what the world looked like through them he couldn't even fathom. He remain still and silent, listening as she talk, his face giving nothing away.

Without taking his eyes off her he side step towards Zeph and twist his torso back to the gate house where he held out a hand. "Torch!"
He command, letting his voice and armor carry his authority. As he wait for a runner to comply he whisper softly to his fellow guard. No hint of familiar recognition in his serious voice.

"There has been a... " He pauses to find the right word to describe the situation "an incident." He finally decides, punctuating the word with an emotional exhale as he turns his head to his brother noting the glowing light of the torch bearer approaching.

"Blight-born attack. The princess is missing. The other. My par. It killed him. We need to get control of the situation and inform the others. This one." He turn his head back to the haunting presence of the newcomer.
"This one will just have to wait. I have a few more questions anyway. The timing... He lets his thoughts trail off as he takes the torch from the runner who delivers it with a nod and then quickly turns to return to his post.

Walking towards the woman, Aliseth takes steady slow steps. "So Nesna is it. Sorry to say but your timing is terrible. You are right to assume Dawnhaven offers shelter and opportunity for all that obey its laws, but before you can enter I am going to need to ask you a few more questions. Do you mind following me out of this cold?"

His voice remain level but strong. The question wasn't really a question. He walked up beside her keeping some distance as he held the torch up, bathing her in its light as his eyes scrutinised her entirety. "This way." He gestured past the other guard in a direction towards a door in the gatehouse.

Realms of Sun & Shadow

@The Muse@enmuni

Valgo

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Eastern gate

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With a low snarling grunt, two huge sacks of grain were tossed from the high heights of the barbarians strong wide shoulders and thud down heavily onto the floor of the small narrow stable in the eastern gatehouse. Only one torch illuminate the room, although that was all that was needed. The room housed only one horse. A nimble powerful beast. Nothing like the blight beast Valgo had seen his own son astride, images of that dark creature still haunt his waking dreams, but this one here was a fine specimen none the less.
Well trained and always saddled, ready to ride out in a moments notice carrying what ever urgent alert it's rider had.

The small giant of a man went about his duties, cleaning the secured room and tending to the horse. Checking it's straps, refilling it's food and giving it some petting. Prior his arrival two guards would do the duties he now did alone. Donkey and cart were once used to haul the supplies that he now carried around the town. He didn't do it this way to show off or because it was quicker (which it was) but more because for him the conversation about getting a donkey was far more difficult than the hard heavy labor of lifting.

As he was finishing up his duties, he heard something that drew his attention. He tried to ignore it but like a blur in ones peripheral, he couldn't but help turn his attention to it. It being the whispering words of guards in the room above. It seemed a new person approached the gates and something about their appearance had the guards in a hushed debate. A knot formed in the large barbarians stomach. That familiar feeling of anticipated dread. That constant gnawing fear. was it time already? While the Barbarian tried to ignore most things that went on in this crazy little town, he could not ignore the presence of a new monstrous looking blight born, not without first examining them.

Quietly he left the small stable and closed the door behind him. Barring it as he was instructed to do. Then, as subtly as he could, he casually made his way to the corner wall and peer around it and down the road. Sure enough a guard he didn't recognise stood blocking half his vision, but he saw enough of the person beyond to know how the guards above could be certain this was a blight born. Not yet having enough detail he gently and slowly caught the wind and pull it his way, dragging any conversation between the two on the road directly to his ears too.

Silently, like a towering statue, he rest against the wall and listen.