Leoven

Into Darkness - A Dungeon World Adventure

The Wildling had followed the strange creature as it fled the tempest that had suddenly swept through the Wilderdeep. It had felt too much like what they'd experienced moments prior, but magnified to the point that Serah had wanted to empty the contents of her stomach. Following the creature, despite the unknown threat it possessed, seemed to be a better choice for her. At least, with the creature, they had something tangible to attack should hackles rise once more.

Serah chanced a look around, noticing that the rest of her companions had chosen to accompany her and the creature, one way or another. They had ran, away from the threat of the Wilderdeep, but also away from what little path they'd followed.

She turned her eyes back to the form of the creature in front of her. She hastened her steps until she ran by the side of the creature. 'Perhaps an explanation?' she paused, adding in afterthought, 'Whatever it is, you fear it too. We can help rid this place of it.'

Arkanshire Dream (Closed)

The fire was an eerie shade of green that Kaja was sure it was not one made of natural means. It failed to give Kaja the comfort a warm fire after a long soak in freezing rainwater should, and the man warming himself by the fire was no better. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the man's walking cane, unsure if it was something that would become a threat to her. Still, she found that she would rather take her chances inside the cave with the odd man than in the depths of the forest while the rain continued to fall.

She gave him a nod and sat crossed-leg directly across from him. Despite its odd appearance, the fire did warm her skin and work to dry her clothes. She placed her sword on her lap, one hand dancing over its hilt. The crackling of the fire broke through the silence that filled the cave, and Kaja took the momentary serenity as a chance to think of all that had led to that moment.

She had been walking around the streets of the capital, carrying with her a pack of materials that Din had asked her to buy from a nearby metal shop. Talk rose amongst the townsfolk about the Nightmare having awoken and that some of the kingdom's finest soldiers and most foolish of vagabonds had began jumping into one of the many portals that had opened in order to challenge the gods for their titles. Kaja had paid them no mind. Her mother had never been one to pray to the gods and Din was a man of science, not religion. As such, Kaja had never thought much of the gods or the people's fascination with the odd ritual of attempting to kill them. She had too much to worry about; Din had written up a blueprint for a new invention and Kaja could not have been more excited.

She paused in her musings and eyed the mouth of the cave. Rain was still falling hard in the forest outside, and it was only then that Kaja noticed that the woods was not familiar to her. She had taken plenty of walks in the surrounding forests of Arkanshire in search of materials and inspiration, and the area she'd woken up in was not a place she'd been in before.

Could it be-? No. It was a foolish thought. She had been walking around Arkanshire, not anywhere near a portal... Though, now that she'd thought about it, she remembered hearing shouts around her while she was walking, a tad too distracted by thoughts of their new endeavor. She remembered a brilliant light, and then crushing darkness. Then, she'd awoken in the middle of the forest, wet and confused... And lacking the bag of materials she'd been carrying before. She made a mental note to search for it once the rain died down.

"Did I..." she muttered, lips pursing in thought, "Did I accidentally go into a portal?"

She looked up at the man, frowning. "Where are we?" She gripped her sword, eyes narrowing in threat should the man not provide her with an answer.

Breakfast University Of Magic

L E E

Training Grounds

After she'd shown the young girl around the dorms, which took remarkably less time than she's originally anticipated, Lee quickly made her way to her shared dormitory with Xinhua to try and use her network to find the aforementioned girl. Sitting down in the comfort of her own room, surrounded by vines and flowers, and all that she'd grown to care about in her past seventeen years of existence, meditation came easy to Lee and soon she was in her mind's eye, soaring through the system of plantlife around the school.

Finding Xinhua was easy. When she'd first checked around the area surrounding the mess hall and found not the Dragon God disciple but a couple of teens interlocked in a strange ritual that Lee still fails to understand despite her years, the training grounds were her next choice. Through a nearby tree, she saw the girl signing forms that would allow her to use the grounds to train or, as Lee knew her to, vent her frustrations on helpless boulders.

There wasn't a moment to lose. Lee broke her trance and headed to an open window, smiling softly at once again being able to use this particular spell. She brought up the animal's image in her mind, and in a poof of white smoke, her body had transformed. While personally, she enjoyed taking the form of a dog more often than the others, she had to admit being a raven had its perks. For one, it allowed her to reach the training grounds quickly, enough to catch Xinhua's screams of anger as it began to die down.

Lee perched on a boulder, choosing to let Xinhua calm down a moment before approaching her, but released a squawk of surprise when Xinhua absentmindedly kicked the boulder to bits. Lee flew off somewhere safe and shifted back to her human form, heaving slightly from her surprise. She gave Xinhua a sheepish look once she caught her breath.

"Careful now," she teased, but the smile fell short on her lips. She stood to her full height and approached Xinhua slowly, her hands tucked behind her. "Look..." she began, worrying her bottom lip, "I'm sorry for getting mad at you earlier and, you know, abandoning you right in the middle of that mess." A smile crept up to her lips and she looked up at Xinhua with a spark in her eyes. "Mess... In the mess hall. Get it?" She allowed a chuckle before scratching the back of neck and continuing her previous line of thought, "Anyway, I just... It wasn't like you. You don't lose your cool like that and, really, challenging Meruin was just stupid."

Before Xinhua could say anything, Lee went in for a hug. "I was worried. You're really strong, but you have to have heard what the professors say about Meruin. She's extremely powerful. Her magic is really powerful, and she probably doesn't have that much of a control over it." She pulled back, but only slightly. "If you fought her... Well, you might get hurt and where would that leave me? I don't want to find a new roommate. She might not be as tolerant of my... aesthetic as you are and we both know that's a deal-breaker." Mirth filled Lee's eyes and a playful smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

She pulled Xinhua in for another hug, squeezing the girl slightly before letting her go. "I'm gonna be neutral in this fight of yours, but I'm gonna get some ice cream afterwards. You can come by my room after you've dealt with your wounds." She paused, thinking. "Huh? What day is it? I think Ophelia might be here for your duel, but I'm not sure. I bet she'd love to see that fight."

She took a couple of steps back, about to offer her services as a sparring partner when a thought came to her. "Oh! I'm not sure if Meruin said yes, but before I left, Viola was talking to her about a deal or something. Maybe talk to her about that later?"

@TheHangedMan

Arkanshire Dream (Closed)

Kaja blinked. A cold shiver ran up her body, both from the onslaught of heavy drops on her back, and the grime slipping into the front of her shirt and the side of her face. She blinked through the curtain of rain, a tempest relentlessly assaulting the treetops that surrounded her. With a groan, she pushed herself up, the heels of her hands sinking into the wet dirt underneath her.

Questions swirled in her mind. Where was she? How did she get there? How would she get back home?

She nodded to herself as soon as she could stand on her own two feet. A quick body check informed her that, yes, her clothes were ruined by the mud and rain, but it was nothing a quick dip in some body of water couldn't fix. The crossbow strapped to her right hand was still functional, the use of stainless steel proving to be one of Kaja's better decisions, and the bolt quiver on her waist held around thirty bolts, five of which were the special bolts from her father. Her sword...

Her head whipped around in search of the gladius she had brought to Arkanshire from the land of the Valkyries and found it sitting against a tree and seemingly pointing in the direction of a cave with something illuminating its inside. Her free hand raised to cover her eyes from the rain as she looked around for another option. She could head further into the forest, but the heavy rainfall made it difficult for her to wander around. Her mind made up, she grabbed the sword and strapped it onto her waist, and headed for the cave.

Maybe out of the rain, she could begin answering some of the questions assaulting her mind.

Arkanshire Dream (Closed)

Name: Kaja
Age: 43 (around 21 in human years)
Gender: Female
Race: Demigod
Height: 5'7"

Appearance:


Weapon of choice: A gladius made of tempered obsidian, and a one-handed crossbow attached to her right hand.
Occupation: Apprentice of an inventor in Arkanshire

Lore:
Skurja was known amongst the ranks of the Valkyries to be one of their most skilled and ruthless warriors. When she finally came to them with news that she had chosen a human male from Arkanshire to lay with her so that she may bear child, expectation arose for the child to be as brilliant a warrior as her mother. In a way, Kaja did not disappoint.

Speed and pure strength were not Kaja's greatest abilities. In fact, her skills on those matters were average, and the other Valkyries her age could easily win over her in races and contests of strength. Despite it, Kaja had only ever fallen in combat once, and that had been against one of the older Valkyries. Questions arose as to how someone with combat skills that could be comparable to an average human soldier could sustain herself in battle against some of the best Valkyries, and it was quickly answered by the observant and tactical minds in their fray. Luck seemed to favour Kaja, and it became apparent when her blows would strike fatal areas and attacks that could have destroyed her missed by mere centimeters. Once, an aged but still reliable pillar had fallen in front of her took a fatal blow meant for her heart.

Talk came about that perhaps Kaja was favoured by the Goddess of Luck, but Skurja quickly squashed that rumour before it could grow. It was a widely known fact that out of all the gods and goddesses in the pantheon, Skurja loathed the Goddess of Luck the most. As such, it was understandable that Skurja would not want to associate her one and only child with the goddess. In the safety of her room, locked from the prying eyes of the other Valkyries, Skurja mourns a love lost and the true other parent of Kaja, the Goddess of Luck herself.

Despite Kaja's luck, Skurja was still doubtful about Kaja's combat skills. She didn't want to have her child pushed into the brunt of battle, and so when Kaja reached the age of maturity, Skurja sent her to Arkanshire... to her father, Din Ironwood.

Din was known around the capital to be an inventor favoured by the Queen for his machinations, but he was regarded by the common folk with open disdain. Most of his inventions failed to work as he had described and more often resulted in a concentrated explosion. Still, the Queen kept him around the capital in hopes that one day, he'd be able to create an invention so wonderful that it could advance Arkanshire farther than they could ever imagine.

When Kaja joined him in his home filled with gears and steam, he knew that things would change and he was correct. Kaja's luck was even more prominent as she aided her father in bringing to existence what his mind crafted. Kaja and serendipity seemed to walk hand-in-hand, and in the five months she'd lived with Din, they had already created three inventions that worked as imagined. In fact, the one-handed crossbow Kaja wields is one that she'd created herself with a bit of steel and wood, and plenty of luck.

Perhaps the only unlucky moment in Kaja's life was when the Nightmare awoken and she stumbled by accident into the land of Arkanshire Dream. It seemed as though Kaja's good luck had ran dry... or had it?

Extra Info:
- Her armour.
- She has a birthmark that resembles a four-leaf clover on her right wrist, barely visible under her crossbow.
- She can use any weapon with ease, but prefers using a sword and her crossbow.
- Din invented a bolt for Kaja's crossbow that would explode upon contact. Currently, she only has five of them, but could make more if needed.
- Kaja doesn't have any interests in men, and would vehemently deny that her eyes had wandered in the presence of women on more than one occassion.
- Kaja has a horrible sweet tooth and a low tolerance for alcohol.

POKEMON: Johto Diaries

until the inactive members get back to me, its safe to assume theres only 4 of us atm :( gonna keep sign ups closed tho until we get a bit farther in our journey for the time being i think.

should i make a post as the professor?

@Synchronize

I think that would be good, yeah. Just to move the story along.

Arkanshire Dream (Closed)

I see your Reinhardt in that character sheet ;)

I'm off to make the sheet for a Demigod character. I plan to make her the daughter of the Goddess of Luck and either a shapeshifter or a Valkyrie. Which would be more probable? Or hell, a dwarf if neither of those two would work. Cheers!

RWBY Tabletop

*cracks knuckles* Looks like I have a bit of reading to do.

But seriously, I love RWBY (bit miffed about the degrading style for Volume 4 though) and I'm a newbie to tabletop roleplaying, but I just have to express my interest in this.

I did some roleplaying on Tumblr with a Grimm-raised faunus character and I might work out a way to fit her into this world. Obviously, a lot will be changed, but I would love to bring her into whatever story you might whip up for this world.

tl;dr I'm in!

POKEMON: Johto Diaries

Got a post for BRIAR up. Sorry for sandwich-ing, but I just couldn't bear seeing that 3 days ago bit.

POKEMON: Johto Diaries

B R I A R

A Roll of the Dice

---

BRIAR eyed the young girl that had entered the laboratory and seemingly zeroed in on the camera they had strapped onto their clothes. There was a mention of brands and models, which they could appreciate more if the talk was made about people rather than the camera. They could care less about the device used to record them as there was no doubt that no matter how low quality the recording would be, they would still look remarkable.

So strong was the urge to simply dismiss the young girl and get on with the process of receiving the first of many Pokemon in her undeniably gorgeous and powerful arsenal, but the subtle gesturing of their assistant sundered their thunderous words. Instead, a nod was given. "Specially made," they stated, fingering the device in an action that could be seen as fond though it was anything but. "I had my assistant there contact the CEO of the company and asked them to create one that had the abilities I needed for my journey."

They lifted a hand and ticked off their points on their fingers. "One, it would be able to handle recording vast amounts of footage with the highest quality possible, and still retain its compact look. Two, it would be able to sustain throughout various weather conditions. And more importantly, three, it can adapt to change its colour to suit my outfit of choice." The last one had actually surprised them when their assistant presented the device to them with a proud smile. They hadn't thought it possible, but apparently the company had been playing around with imitating the abilities of a Kecleon and Smeargle in their products - to create a camera that could record whilst invisible, apparently - and had decided that BRIAR's request was one they would happily utilize their invention on. Thus far, they had tested it out on three different outfits, and it did not disappoint.

They raised a brow at the young girl as if saying, yes, be impressed, but followed the girl's gaze when she turned back to the Professor. They nodded along, also eager to get their Pokemon as soon as possible. They had, after all, suffered through travelling miles to get to some provincial village more boring than the shows of that other wannabe star in the industry, mingled with plebians that were far beneath their status, and wasted their time on useless chatter. Time was gold, and BRIAR wasn't keen on having theirs wasted.

"I tire of games, Professor. I require the Pokemon promised and the..." they paused, looking over to their assistant who mouthed the word to them, "Pokedex. I'm sure you must live a busy lifestyle such as I do, and would appreciate not getting delayed by mingling." They sighed, taking a moment to check the status of their fingernails. Still perfectly manicured, they turned back their attention to the woman before them. "The earlier we are out of those doors with a Pokemon and your little device in our hands, the more we can do for you and your cause. What say you?"